
The:Ameri6An:Boys 
•Handy:Book' 

BY 

XC.BearAi 



NEW EDITION. 




^rk J^ 



es 
bner]s^ 

Sons.y% 




1920 






Copyright by 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

1882, 1890 



Copyright by 
D. C. BEARD 



SPECIAL NOTICE 

The publishers hereby give warning that the 
unauthorized printing of any portion of the text 
of this book) and the reproduction of any of thf 
U|\i$U9tioo> or diagrams, are expressly fbriH4dMb 



PREFACE TO NEW EDITION. 



The exceedingly kind reception given the first edition of 
;his book by the public and the whole press of the country is 
most gratifying to the author ; but what pleases him still more 
is the knowledge that he contributes to the pleasure of the boys 
of America, the boys who soon will be the men of America, upon 
whom will rest the destiny of this great country. 

Some years have quietly slipped by since the first edition ot 
this book was published. Monad, the little dog whose portrait 
adorns Chapter XXIV., no longer accompanies his master, "seat- 
ed in front of the sliding-seat of a shell," on his rowing expedi- 
tions, but is content to lie on the door-mat and sleep away 
the summer days. The German carp, described on page 52, still 
"browses all day upon the mossy surface of the rocks" in the 
same aquarium it then occupied, but, unlike the dog, it shows 
no signs of old age ; best of all, wherever the author travels, he 
sees some of the American Boys' Handy-Book suggestions 
carried out by the boys, either in the kites soaring overhead, 
the Man Friday or Crusoe rafts moored by the lake or river 
side, the home-made aquariums in the north windows of dwell- 
ings, or in the very toys patented and sold by enterprising 



ii Preface to New Edition. 

dealers upon the streets of the big cities. It is worth writing 
a book to see these results, and with the hope that this revised 
edition may contain something new or useful to the boys, the 
writer dedicates it to them. 

As it has been demonstrated that there are great numbers 
of "old boys" among the readers of this book, all of whom 
clamor for more material on woodcraft, it appears only just that 
some attention should be paid them, especially if this can be 
done without interfering with the vested rights of the younger 
generation. This reason, combined with a desire to help per- 
petuate a detailed account of what must, in a short time, inevi- 
tably become a lost art, has induced the writer to add the de- 
scription of the manufacture of the birch-bark and dug-out 
canoes. 

Trusting that these additions will not be resented as an in- 
trusion by the younger readers, and that they will be of interest 
to the older ones, they are offered as, in the author's opinion, 
the best and most practical contributions to woodcraft that he 
has found since the AMERICAN BoYS' Handy-Book was first 
published.. 



PREFACE 



Unless boys have materially changed their habits in the 
last few years, it matters little what the preface of this book 
may contain, for it will be *' skipped ** without a passing glance. 
Still, in the estabHshed order of things, a preface, even if unno- 
ticed by younger readers, is necessary to enable the author to 
state his purposes in undertaking the work, and to modestly 
put forward his claims on public attention. 

It is the memory of the longing, that used to possess my- 
self and my boy friends of a few years ago, for a real prac- 
tical American boy's book, that has induced me to offer this 
volume. 

The sports, amusements, and games embraced in this book 
are intended to reach the average American boy of any age, 
not too young to fly a kite or too old to enjoy a day's good 
fishing. 

The book is based upon personal experiments and expe- 
riences, and is free, as far as lay within my power to make it, 
of foreign or technical terms or phrases. 

Well do I remember the impracticable chemical experi- 
ments, necessitating professional skill and the use of compli- 



iv Preface. 



cated and expensive apparatus, the impossible feats of leger* 
demain and the time-worn conundrums, riddles, and games 
that help to make up the contents of the boy*s books of my 
youth. 

Unfamiliar and foreign terms, references to London shops 
as places to procure the articles mentioned, glittering generali- 
ties, and a general disregard for details are the marked charac- 
teristics of the books to which I refer. 

Never shall I forget the disappointment experienced, when 
after consulting the index, I sought the article on paper bal- 
loons and found only the bare statement of the fact that bal- 
loons made of paper and filled with heated air would ascend. 
If I remember aright, the whole description occupies less than 
four lines. 

Although the greater portion of the contents of the present 
volume has never been published before, some of it appeared 
as short articles in the St. Nicholas Magazine ; and the direc- 
tions and descriptions then given have been tested by thou- 
sands of boys throughout the United States, and, judging from 
the letters I have received, with uniform success. 

Of course, such a book cannot, in the nature of things, be 
exhaustive, nor is it, indeed, desirable that it should be. Its 
use and principal purpose are to stimulate the ihventive facul- 
ties in boys, to bring them face to face with practical emergen- 
cies when no book can supply the place of their own common 
sense and the exercise of personal intelligence and ingenuity. 

Many new ideas will suggest themselves to the practical, 
ready-witted American boy, many simplifications and improve 



Preface. 



ments on the apparatus here described ; but it is hoped and 
expected by the author that the directions here given, as far as 
they go, will be found intelligible and practicable. 

Nor is the volume, as is too often the case with this class 
of books, only to be made use of by lads with an almost unlim- 
ited supply of money at their disposal. 

All apparatus described are either to be constructed of 
material easily obtained by almost any boy without cost, or by 
a very small outlay. 

The author would also suggest to parents and guardians that 
money spent on fancy sporting apparatus, toys, etc., would be 
better spent upon tools and appliances. 

Let boys make their own kites and hows and arrows ; they 
will find a double pleasure in them, and value them accord- 
ingly, to say nothing of the education involved in the success- 
ful construction of their home-made playthings. 

The development of a love of harmless fun is itself no value- 
less consideration. The baneful and destroying pleasures that 
offer themselves with an almost irresistible fascination to idle 
and unoccupied minds find no place with healthy activity and 
hearty interest in boyhood sports. 



CONTENTS. 



SPRING. 
CHAPTER I. 

PAGB 

Kite Time 3 

Man Kite, 5; The Woman Kite, 9; A Boy Kite, 11 ; Frog Kite, il ; 
, ^ The Butterfly Kite, 13 ; The King Crab Kite, 14 ; Fish Kite, 15 ; The 
Turtle Kite, 16; The Shield Kite, 18; A Star Kite, 19; The Chi- 
nese Dragon Kite, 19; The Japanese Square Kite, 21 ; The Moving 
Star, 21. 

CHAPTER II. 
War Kites 23 

^ : Unarmed War Kite, 23; Armed Kites, 24; Armed Kite Fighting, 35 ; 
How to Make the Knives, 25 ; How to Make Cutters, 26 ; Kite Clubs, 27. 

CHAPTER III. 
Novel Modes of Fishing * 2?- 

The Bell Pole, 28 ; Jugging for Cats, 29 ; The Dancing, Fisherman, 31 ; 
Toy Boats for Fishing, 32 ; The Wooden Otter, 33 ; Fishing for Fresh- 
Water Clams, 33. 

CHAPTER IV. 
Home-Made Fishing Tackle sfi 

The Rod, 36 ; Tin and Spool Reel, 37 ; The Forked Stick Reel, 38 ; 
Home-Made Nets, 39 ; A Home-Made Minnow Bucket, 42 ; Inhabi- 
tants of the Water, 43. 



viii Contents, 



CHAPTER V. 

PAGB 

How TO Stock, Make, and Keep a Fresh- Water Aquarium 44 

Stocking, 53 ; The Frog, 54 ; Gold-Fish versus Bass, 56 ; Aquarium 
Cement, 57. 

CHAPTER VI. 

How to Keep Aquatic Plants in the House or Flower-Oarden.., 58 
Water-Lily, 58; Cat-Tails, 60. 

CHAPTER VII. 

How to Stock and Keep a Marine Aquarium 61 

Cement for Marine Aquaria, 62. 

CHAPTER VIII. 
How to Collect for Marine Aquarium ,, ^'^ 



SUMMER. 

CHAPTER IX. 
Knots, Bends, and Hitches 71 

How to Make a Horse-Hair Watch-Guard, 74 ; Miscellaneous, 75 ; Whip- 
Lashes, 78 ; Splices, Timber- Hitches, etc., 78. 

CHAPTER X. 

The Water-Telescope S3 

How to Make a Wooden Water-Telescope, 83 ; A Tin Water-Telescope, 
84. 

CHAPTER XI. 
D'^EDGE, Tangle, and Trawl Fishing , . ... $fi 

A New Sport, 86 ; The Tangle, 88 ; The Trawl, 88 ; How to Make a 
Bake- Pan Dredge, 89 ; A Tin-Pail Dredge, 90 ; How to Make a Broom- 
stick Tangle, 91 ; The Old Chain Tangle, 91 ; Hints and Suggestions to 
Amateurs, 91; The Use of the Tangle,. 93. 



Contents. ix 



CHAPTER XII. 

PACK 

Home-Made Boats 95 

Birth of the *' Man-Friday" Gatamaran; The Crusoe Raft, 95; The 
Crusoe Raft, 97 ; The Scow, loi ; A Floating Camp, or the Boy's 
Own Fiat-Boat, 105 ; The Yankee Pine, 113. 

CHAPTER XIII. 
How TO Rig and Sail Small Boats 118 

Simplest Rig Possible, 122; Leg-of-Mutton Rig, 124; The Latteen Rig, 
126; The Cat Rig, 127 ; How to Make a Sail, 128 ; Hints to Beginners, 
128. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Novelties in Soap-Bubbles 132 

Every Boy his own Bubble- Pipe, 132. 

CHAPTER XV. 
Fourth of July Balloons, with New and Novel Attachments 136 

CHAPTER XVI. 
How to Camp Out without a Tent 148 

Hints to Amateur Campers, 159; Provisions, 159; Shelter, 159; Choosing 
Companions, 160. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Bird Singers, Etc i6i 

The Block Bird Singer, 161; The Corn-stalk Fiddle, 162; The Pumpkin- 
vine Fife, 163; A Pumpkin-vine Flute, 163; Cane Fife, 163; The 
Voice Disguiser, 164; The Locust Singer, 164; The Hummer, 166. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Bird Nesting 167 

How to Collect and Preserve Eggs, 167 ; Birds* Nests, 169 ; Preserving 
Nests, 170. 



Contents, 



CHAPTER XIX. 

PAGB 

How TO Rear Wild Birds 171 

Robins, Thrushes, Wrens, and other Small Buds, 171 ; Squabs, 172; The 
Cow Blackbird, 172; Wrens, Sparrows, and Finches, 173; The Bobo- 
link, 173; The Catbird, 174; Robins, 174; The Brown Thrush, or 
Thrasher, 175 ; The Wood Thrush, 175; Bluebirds, 176; The Summer 
Yellowbird, 176; The Bluejay, 177; Humming-Bird, 177. 

CHAPTER XX. 

How TO Rear Wild Btrhs— Continued i8a 

The Crow, Hawk, and other Large Birds, 180; The Hawk, 182; The 
Hawk as a "Scare-Crow," 183; The Hawk as a Decoy, 183; Owls, 
184; Sea Birds, 184; Strange Domestic Fowls, 186. 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Home-Made Hunting Apparatus, Etc 188 

Spearing Fish, 188 ; How to Make a Fish Spear, 188 ; How to Make the 
Torches, and Jack-Lights, 190; How to Make the Boomerang, 190; To 
Throw a Boomerang, 192; The Miniature Boomerang, 193 ; The Whip- 
Bo%v, 194; Throw-Sticks, 195; The Bird Bolas, 196; The Elastic 
Cross-Bow, 197. 

CHAPTER XXII. 
How TO Make Blow-Guns, Elder Guns, Etc ao>a 

To Make a Blow-Gun, 201 ; Squirt-Guns, 202 ; Elder Guns and Pistols, 
203 ; The Spring Shot-Gun, 205. 



AUTUMN. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Traps and Trappings ; 2og 

Rats, 210; The Paper Pitfall, 211; Jug Trap, 212; The Mole and How 
* to Trap Him, 213; The Figure Four, 214; Mole Trap, 214; TheToll- 

. gate Trap, 215; The Partridge Snare, 217; Set-Line Snares, 218; Thb 
Sprmg Snare, 219; Hen-Coop Trap, 221, 



Cof^ccenfs. xi 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

PAGB 

. ...c. 223 

How to Choose a Dog, 224 ; How to Train Dogs, 226 ; To Teach a Dqv 
to Retrieve, 227 ; Pointers and Setters, 228 ; Pet Dogs, 229. 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Practical Taxidekiv^x for Boys 232 

Skinning, 233; Stuffing, 236; A New Manner of Preserving Fish, 239/ 
Design for Sketching Aquarium, 241 ; Preserving Insects, 242 ; Mors* 
Insect Box, 243 ; The Lawrence Breeding Box, 244 ; Spiders, 245 ; How 
to Make Beautiful or Comical Groups and Designs of Insects, 245; 
Marine Animals, 246. 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Every Bo^ a Decorative Artist , vl 

Shaac/w Pictures — Photographic Paper — How to Enlarge or Reduce a Pic- 
ture, etc., 248 ; How to Enlarge or Reduce by Squares, 250; How to 
Make a Camera for Drawing, 252. 



WINTER. 

■ CHAPTER XXVII. 
Snowball Warfare m^ 

How to Build Snow Forts — How to Make Shields and Ammunition Sleds, 
257 ; How to Build the Fort, 258 ; How to Make an Ammunition Sled, 
260 ; How to Make the Shield, 261 ; Rules of the Game, 262 ; A Snow 
Battle, 264; How to Bind a Prisoner without a Cord, 267; Company 
Rest, 267. 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Snow-Houses and Statuary. a6) 

Snow Statuary, 272. 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
Sleds, V Chair-Sleighs, and Snow-Shoes , ^ 275 

A Chair- Sleigh, 275; Folding Chair-Sleigh, 276 ; The Toboggan, 278; 
Snow-Shoes or Skates, 279. 



xii Contents. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

FAGB 

How TO Make the Tom Thumb Ice-Boat and Larger Craft 281 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

The Winged Skaters, and How to Make the Wings „ . 286 

Bat Wings, 288 ; The Norton Rig, 288 ; The Norwegian Rig, 290 ; The 
Danish Rig, 291 ; The English Rig, 292 ; The Cape Vincent Rig, 293 ; 
A Country Rig, 294. 

CHAPTER XXXH. 
Winter Fishing — Spearing and Snaring — Fisherman's Movable 

Shanties, Etc 296 

Smelt Fishing and the Smelt Fisher's House, 297 ; The Spearsman's Shanty, 
3CX) ; Snaring Fish, 301 ; Spearing Fish, 302 ; How to Build a Fishing 
House, 303. 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

[n-Door Amusements 305 

Bric-k-Brac, or the Tourist's Curiosities, 305 ; Mind-Reading, 309 ; A Liter- 
ary Sketch Club, 310. 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 
The Boy's Own Phunnygraph 314 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

How to Make Puppets and a Puppet-Show 322 

How to Make the Stage, 323 ; The Scenery, 323 ; The Old Mill, 325 ; 
Puss, 325 ; Corsando and the Donkey, 327 ; The Royal Coach, 328 ; 
Carabas, 330; How to Work the Puppets, 330; Stage Effects, 3315 
How to Make a Magical Dance, 332 ; How to Make a Sea Scene, 33*. 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Puss-lN-BooTs. Dramatized and Adapted for a Puppet-Show 33<| 

Act I., Scene I., Landscape, with Tree, Bridge, and Mill at one side, 
334; Scene II., Woods, 336; Act II., Scene I., King's Palace, 337; 
Scene II., High-road, 238; Act III., Scene I., Interior of Ogre's 
Castle, 341. 



Contents. xiii 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

PAd 

How TO Make a Magic Lantern— A Kaleidoscope— A Fortune-Tel- 
ler's Box, Etc 345 

A Home-Made Kaleidoscope, 347; The Fortune-Teller's Box, 348; The 
/ Magic Cask, 351 ; How the Barrel is Made, 352. 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

How to Make the Dancing Fairies, the Bather, and the Orator. . 354 
How to Make a Handkerchief Doll, 354 ; The Bather, 356 ; The Orator, 
357. 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

How TO Make Various and Divers Whirligigs 359 

Potato Mill, 359 ; A Saw-Mill, 360 ; The Rainbow Whirligig, 361 ; A 
Paradoxical Whirligig, 363 ; The Phantasmoscope, or Magic Wheel, 364. 

CHAPTER XL. 
The Universe in a Card-Box ,, 368 

CHAPTER XLI. 

Life Instilled into Paper Puppets, and Matches Made of Human 

Fingers 37f 

To Light the Gas with your Finger, 373. 

CHAPTER XLIL 

Iome-Made Masquerade and Theatrical Costumes 374 

The White Man of the Desert, 374; "The Fourteenth Century Young 
Man," 375 ; The Mediaeval Hat, 376 ; The Wig, 377 ; Eyebrows, Mo.us- 
tache, and Beard, 377; The Doublet, 377 ; Trunks, 378; Tights, 379} 
To Dress, 379 ; The Baby, 379 ; How to Make a Handkerchief Hoodj 
380. 



xlv Contents. 



ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS FOR THE 
FOUR SEASONS 



SPRING. 

PAGB 

Kites... 383 

Thousands of Kites, 383; The Tailless Kite— Holland Kite, 384. 

Fishing 386 

The Goose Fisherman, 386; The Pistol Reporter, 387; The Floating 
Tie-Up, 388. 



SUMMER. 

Home-Made Boats 389 

Slab Canoe, 389; How to Build a Birch Bark* Canoe, 390; Indian 
Birch Bark Canoe, 392; A Canvas Canoe, 406; The Dug-out, 408; 
How to Build a Siwash Canoe, 408. 

SoAP-BuBBLES 410 

Paper Fireworks 410 

Parachutes, 412; Paper Whirligigs, 413, 

Home-made Hunting Apparatus 414 



AUTUMN. 

Decoys 421 

Duck Decoys, 421; Snipe and Plover Decoys, 423. 

Taxidermy 423 

*• Uncle Enos " Banjo 425 



WINTER. 
Snow-shoes 4^8 



spring. 



The American Boy^s 
Handy Book. 



CHAPTER I. 
KITE TIME. 

It is a pleasant sensation to sit in the first spring sunshine 
and feel the steady pull of a good kite upon the string, and 
watch its graceful movements as it sways from side to side, 
ever mounting higher and higher, as if impatient to free itself 
and soar away amid the clouds. The pleasure is, however, 
greatly enhanced by the knowledge that the object skimming 
so bird-like and beautifully through the air is a kite df your own 
manufacture. 

I remember, when quite a small boy, building an immense 
man kite, seven feet high. It was a gorgeous affair, with its 
brilHant red nose and cheeks, blue coat, and striped trousers. 

As you may imagine, I was nervous with anxiety and ex- 
citement to see it fly. After several experimental trials to get 
the tail rightly balanced, and the breast-band properly adjusted, 
and having procured the strongest hempen twine with which to 
fly it, I went to the river-bank for the grand event. 

My man flew splendidly ; he required no running, no hoist- 
ing, no- jerking of the string to assist him. I had only to stand 
on the high bank and let out the string, and so fast did the twine 
pass through my hands that my fingers were almost blistered. 



spring. 



People began to stop and gaze at the queer sight, as my man 
rose higher and higher, when, suddenly, my intense pride and 
enjoyment was changed into something very like fright. 

The twine was nearly all paid out, when I found that my 
man was stronger than his master, and I could not hold him ! 

Imagine, if you can, my 
dismay. I fancied my- 
self being pulled from the 
bank into the river, and 
skimming through the 
water at lightning speed, 
for, even in my fright, 
the idea of letting go of 
the string did not once 
occur to me. However, 
to my great relief, a rr.an 
standing near came to 
my assistance, just as the 
stick upon which the 

Japanese Square Kite. ^^j^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ 

came dancing up from the ground toward my hands. So hard 
did my giant pull that even the friend who had kindly come to 
the rescue had considerable trouble to hold him in. The great 
kite, as it swung majestically about, high in the blue sky, at- 
tracted quite a crowd of spectators, and I felt very grand at the 
success of my newly invented flying-man ; but my triumph was 
short-lived. The tail made of rags was too heavy to bear its 
own weight, and, breaking off near the kite, it fell to the 
ground, while my kite, freed from this load, shot up like a 
rocket, then turned and came headlong down with such force, 
that dashing through the branches of a thorny locust-tree, it 
crashed to the ground, a mass of broken sticks and tattered 
paper. Although the sad fate of my first man-kite taught mc 




Kite Time. 



CD 



Fig. I. 



to avoid building unmanageable giants, 
the experiment was, on the whole, satis- 
factory, for it proved beyond a doubt that 
it is unnecessary to follow the conven- 
tional form for a kite to make one that 
will fly. 

Man Kite. 

To make this kite you will require four 
sticks, some rattan and some paper. In 
regard to his size, I would suggest that 
the larger the man is, the better he will 
fly. Now let us suppose you are going 
to make this fellow four feet high. First, 
cut two straight sticks three feet nine 
inches long ; these are to serve for the 
legs and body ; cut another straight stick 
two and one-half feet in length for the 
spine, and a fourth stick, three feet five 
inches long, for the arms. For the head 
select a light piece of split rattan — any 
light, tough wood that will bend readily 
will do — bend this in a circle eight inches 
in diameter, fasten it securely to one end 
of the spine by binding it with strong 
thread, being careful that the spine runs 
exactly through the centre of the circle 
(Fig. I). Next find the exact centre of 
the arm stick, and with a pin or small 
tack fasten it at this point to the spine, 
a few inches below the chin (Fig. 2). Af- 
ter wrapping the joint tightly with strong 
thread, lay the part of the skeleton which Skeleton a«d_Frame of Ma. 




spring. 



IS finished flat upon the floor, mark two points upon the arm 
sticks for the shoulder-joints, each seven inches from the in 
tersection of the spine and arm-stick, which will place them four 
teen inches apart. At these points fasten with a pin the two long 
sticks that are to serve for the body and legs (Fig. 3). Now cross 
these sticks as shown in diagram, being careful that the termi- 
nations of the lower limbs are at least three feet apart ; the 
waist-joint ought then to be about ten inches below the arm- 
stick. After taking the greatest pains to see that the arm-stick 
is perfectly at right angles with the spine, fasten all the joints 
securely. Upon the arms bind oblong loops of rattan, or of 
the same material as the head-frame. These hand-loops ought 
to be about three inches broad at their widest parts, and exact 
counterparts of each other. The loops for the feet must ap- 
proach as nearly as possible the shape of feet, and these, too, 
must be exactly alike, or the kite will be " lopsided," or un- 
equally balanced. Now cut two sticks three inches long for the 
ends of sleeves, and two others four inches long for bottoms 
cf trousers (Fig. 4) ; fasten the two former near the ends of the 
arm-stick, and the two latter near the ends of the leg-sticks, as 
in the illustration. The strings of the frame must next be put 
on, as shown by the dotted lines (Fig. 5). Commence with 
the neck, at equal distances from the spine, and about seven 
inches apart ; tie two strings to the arm-sticks ; extend these 
strings slantingly to the head, and fasten them to the hoop, 
one on each side of the spine, and about five inches apart. 
Take another thread and fasten to the top of cross-stick of right 
arm, pass it over and take a wrap around the spine, continue 
it to top of cross-stick upon left arm, and there tie it. Fasten 
another string to bottom of cross-stick on right arm, draw it 
tight and wrap it on spine four inches below intersection of 
arm-stick, p.ass it on to the bottom of cross-stick on left arm, 
draw taut and fasten it. Tie the body-string at the right shouJ 



Kite Time, 



der-joint, drop the thread down to a point exactly opposite the 
termination of spine upon the right leg, take a wrap, and draw 
the line across to point upon left leg exactly opposite, bind it 
there, then bring it up to left shoulder-joint and tie it. For 
the trousers fasten a string at a point on right arm-stick, eleven 
inches from the intersection of spine, extend it down in a 
straight line to inside end of cross-stick of left limb and fasten 
it there. Tie another string at a point one inch and a half to 
the left of spine upon right arm-stick, extend it down in a 
straight line to outside end of cross-stick of left limb. Go 
through the same process for right leg of trousers, and the 
frame-work will be complete. 

For the covering of a kite of this size I have always used 
tissue paper ; it is pretty in color and very light in weight. 
Paste some sheets of tissue paper together, red for the trousers, 
hands and face, blue for the coat, and black, or some dark 
color, for the feet. Use paste made of flour and water boiled 
to the consistency of starch. Put the paste on with a small 
bristle brush, make the seams or over-laps hardly more than 
one-fourth of an inch wide, and press them together with a soft 
rag or towel ; measure the paper so that the coat will join the 
trousers at the proper place. When you are satisfied that this 
is all right, lay the paper smoothly on the floor and place the 
frame of the kite upon it, using heavy books or paper-weights 
to hold it in place. Then with a pair of scissors cut the paper 
around the frame, leaving a clear edge of one-half inch, and 
making a slit in this margin or edge every six or seven inches 
and at ec^ch angle ; around the head these slits must be made 
about two or three inches apart to prevent the paper from 
wrinkling when you commence to paste. With your brush 
cover the margin with paste one section at a time, turn them 
over, and with the towel or rag press them down. After the 
kite is all pasted and dry, take a large paint-brush, and witb 



8 



Spring, 



black marking-paint, india ink, or common writing fluid, put ii 
the buttons and binding on coat witii a good broad touch. The 
face and hair must be painted with broad Hnes, so that they 
may be seen clearly at a great height. Follow this rule wher- 
ever you have to use paint upon any kind of kite. 

The breast-band, or ** belly-band," of the man kite should 

be arranged in the same 
manner as it is upon the 
common hexagonal or cof- 
fin-shaped kite with which 
all American boys are fa- 
miliar ; but for fear some 
of my readers may not 
quite understand I will try 
and tell them exactly how 
to do it. First, punch small 
holes through the paper, 
one upon each side of the 
leg-sticks just above the 
bottom of the pants, and 
one upon each side of the 
arm-stick at the shoulders. 
Run one end of the breast- 
band through the holes at 
the bottom of the left limb 
and tie it fast to the leg 
stick ; tie the other end at 
the right shoulder. Take 
another string of the same 
length as the first and fasten one end in the same manner at 
the bottom of the right leg, pass the string up. crossing the first 
band, and tie the end at the left shoulder. Attach your kite- 
string to the breast-band where the two strings intersect in sucb 




Fig. 6, — Frame of Woman Kite. 



Kite Time. 



a manner that you can slide the kite-string up or down until it 
IS properly adjusted. For the tail-band, tie a string (to the 

leg - sticks) at 
the bottom of 
the breast- 
band and let 
it hang slack 
from one leg 
to the other. 
Attach the tail to the cen- 




t 



Fig. 7.— Foot of 
the Girl. 



tre of this string. 



The ^Voman Kite, 
though differing in form, 
is made after the same 
method as the man kite, 
and with the aid of the dia- 
gram any boy can build 
one if he is careful to keep 
the proper proportions. 
Remember that the dotted 
lines in each of these dia- 
grams represent the strings 
or thread of the frame- 
work (Fig. 6). Use small, 
smooth twine on large 
kites, and good strong 
Fig. 8.-Comic Girl Kite. thread on the smaller ones. 

A very comical effect can be had by making the feet of the 
woman kite of stiff paste-board, and fastening them on to the 
line which forms the bottom of the skirt with a string after the 
manner here illustrated (Fig. 7), allowing them to dangle loose- 
\y from below, to be moved and swayed by each motion of the 



lO 



spring. 




kite, looking as W 
it was indeed a live 
woman or girl of _ 
the Kate Greenaway \ 
style, dancing and 
kicking in the clouds. 
Fig.8 shows agirlkite 
with feet attached. 

The costume 
given in the illustra- 
tion may be varied 
according to fancy, 
with the same frame- 
work. A Dolly Var- 
den or a Martha 
Washington cos- 
tume can be made. 
A blue OversUirt and 
waist covered with 
stars, and a red and 
white striped skirt, 
give us Columbia or 
a Goddess of Lib- 
erty. Attach the 
breast-band in the 
same manner as upon 
the man kite. Let 
the tail-band hang 
loosely below the 
skirt. By a slight 
modification of the 
frame of the man 
kite you can product 



Kite Time, 1 1 



A Boy Kite 

that will create an unlimited amount of fun whenever he makes 
his appearance in his aesthetic Kate Greenaway suit. By care- 
fully following the construction according to the diagram (Fig. 
9) the average boy will find little difficulty in building a twin 
brother to the kite in the illustration (Fig. 10). 

Stl^l another strange looking kite can be made by using a 
piece of pliable wood bent in a circular form for the body, and 
allowing the leg-sticks to protrude above the shoulders to form 
short arms, the spine extending below the trunk some distance 
to form the tail to a 

Frog Kite. 

It is not worth while to build one less than two feet high. 
Let us suppose that the particular batrachian we are now about 
to make is to be just that height ; in this case the leg-sticks 
must be each two feet long, and as you will want to bend them 
at the knees, these points should be made considerably thinner 
than the other parts of the sticks. The spine must be about 
one foot seven inches long, or a little over three-quarters of 
the length of the leg-sticks. Place the two latter one above 
the other, lay the spine on top of them, and see that the tops 
of all three are flush, or perfectly even. Then at a point eight 
inches from the top, drive a pin through all three sticks, care- 
fully clamping it upon the other side where the point pro- 
trudes. For the body, take a piece of thin rattan two feet five 
or six inches in length, bend it into the form of a circle, allow- 
ing the ends. to overlap an inch or two that they may be firmly 
bound together with thread by winding it around the joint. 
The circle will be about eight inches in diameter. Take the 
three sticks you pinned together and lay them on the floor, 
spreading them apart ia the form of an irregular star, in such a 



12 



Spring, 



manner that the top of the spine will be just half-way between 
the tops of the leg-sticks and about five inches from each ; when 
you have proceeded thus far place the rattan circle over the 
other sticks ; the intersection of the sticks should be the centre 





Fig. II.— Frame of Frog Kite. Fig. 12.— Frog Kite. 

of the circle ; with pins and thread fasten the frame together h. 
this position. The lower limbs will be spread wide apart ; the^. 
must be carefully drawn closer together and held in position b^ 
a string tied near the termination of each leg-stick. Cross- 
sticks for hands and feet may now be added, and the strings! 
put on as shown in Fig. ii. This kite should be coverec 
with green tissue paper. A few marks of the paint-brush wL 



Kite Time. 



13 



give it the appearance of Fig. 12. The breast and tail-band 
can be put on as described in the man kite. 

The Butterfly Kite. 

Make a thin straight stick of a piece of elastic wood, or 
split rattan ; to the top end of this attach a piece of thread or 
string ; bend the stick as you would a bow until it forms an arc 
or part of a circle ; then 
holding the stick in this 
position tie the other end 
of the string to a point 
a few inches above the 
bottom end of the stick. 
At a point on the stick, 
about one-quarter the dis- 
tance from the top, tie 
another string, draw it 
taut, and fasten it to the 
bottom end of the bow. 
Take another stick of ex- 
actly the same length and 
thickness as the first, and 
go through the same pro- 
cess, making a frame that 
must be a duplicate of 
the other. Then fasten 
the two frames together, 
as shown by Fig. 13, al- 
lowing the arcs to over- 




FiG. 13.— Frame of Butterfly Kite. 




Fig. 14.— The Butterfly Kite. 



lap several inches, and bind the joints securely with thread. 
The hf ad of the insect is made by attaching two broom- 
straws to the top part of the wings where they join, the straws 
must be crossed, the projecting ends serving for the antennae or^ 



H 



Spring. 



as the boys call them, the ** smellers " of the butterfly. Nov» 
select a piece of yellow or blue tissue paper, place your frame 
over it, cut and paste as directed in the description of the man 
kite. When the kite is dry, with black paint make some mark- 
ing upon the wings similar to those shown in the illustration, 
Fig. 14 ; or, better still, cut out some pieces of dark colored 
paper in the form of these markings and paste them on, of 
course taking care to have one wing like the other (Fig. 14), as 
in nature. 

The King Crab Kite. 





Fig. 15.— Frame of King Crab, FiG. i6.— King Crab Kite. 

The king, or "horse shoe crab,** is familiar to all boys who 
live upon the coast or spend their summer vacation at the sea* 



Kite Time. 15 



side. It IS a comparatively simple matter to imitate this crus- 
tacean in the form of a kite ; in fact, all that is necessary is a 
slight modification of the old-fashioned bow kite to which a 
pointed tail must be attached. This tail can be made as shown 
in the illustration (Fig. 15), or may be cut out of a piece of 
paste-board and joined to the kite by a paper hinge ; this will 
allow the tail to bend backward when the wind blows against 
it, giving it a natural appearance ; the kite and pointed tail, 
which is part of the kite, should be covered with yellow paper. 
If you think that you do not possess sufficient skill with the 
brush to represent the under side of the crab, as shown in the 
illustration (Fig. 16), you can, at least, paint two large eye- 
spots some distance apart near the upper end, and then your 
kite will represent a back view. Attach the breast and tail 
bands as on an ordinary bow kite. 

Fish Kite. 

Cut two straight pine sticks; shave them down until they are 
thin enough to bend readily; see that they are exactly the 
same length and of about the same weight. Fasten the top 
ends together by driving a pin through them. Bend each stick 
in the form of a bow, and hold them in this position until you 
have secured a third stick across them at right angles about 
one-third the way down from the top, or ends where they are 
joined together. The fish should be about half as broad as 
it is long. Let the lower ends of the side or bow sticks cross 
each other far enough up to form a tail to the fish, and fasten 
the sticks together at their intersection. Before stringing the 
frame see that the cross-stick protrudes an equal distance from 
each side of the fish. To make the tail, tie a string across 
the bottom from the end of one cross-stick to the end of the 
other, and to this string midway between the two side-sticks tie 
unother string, pass it up to the root, of the tail, draw it taut 



i6 



Spring. 



and fasten it there at the intersection of the side-sticks ; this wili 
make a natural hooking-fork to the caudal fin (Fig. 17). 

The remainder of the strings can be put on by referring to 
the diagram, care being taken that the dorsal or back-fin is 
made exactly the same size as the fin on the belly of the fish. 
Yellow, red,, and green are all appropriate colors for the paper 





Fig. 17.— Frame of Fish Kite. Fig. 18.— Fish Kite. 

covering of this kite. After the paper is pasted and dry you may 
amuse yourself by painting the outlines of the gills and fins 
(Fig. 18). The kite will look all the better for not having the 
scales painted upon it. Tie the strings of the breast-band to 
the side-sticks near the head and tail, and let them cross each 
other as in a common kite. Attach the tail-band to the tail of 
the fish. 

The Turtle Kite 
is so simple in its construction that a lengthy descriptioa 
of how to make it would be out of place. All that is necessarjl 



Kite Time. 



17 



is to place the diagram before you (Fig. 19) and go to work. 
Suppose you want your kite to measure two feet from tip of 
nose to end of tail, the spine or centre-stick must then, of 
course, be two feet long ; make the leg-sticks each one and a 
half foot long, place the stick for the fore-legs at a point on the 
spine seven inches below the top, put the stick for the hind- 




fto, 19.— Frame of Turtle-Kite. 



Fig. 2a— The Turtle Kite. 



legs eight inches below the fore-legs. Adjust the hoop so that 
it will extend four inches above the fore-leg stick, and the same 
distance below the hind-leg stick. Let the diameter across the 
centre from side to side be about fifteen inches. Put the cross- 
pieces on for the head and feet, run a thread over the bottom 
end of the spine for a tail, cover the whole with green tissue 
paper and your kite is done (Fig. 20). 



i8 



Spring, 



The Shield Kite. 

Make the frame of four sticks, two straight cross-sticks and 
two bent side-sticks (Fig. 21); cover it with red, white, and blue 





Fig. 21. — Frame of Shield Kite. 



Fig. 22.— The Shield Kite. 



tissue paper. Paste red and white paper together in stripes for 
the bottom, and use a blue ground with white stars for the top 
(Fig. 22). The next kite is not original with the author, but is 





Fig. 23.— Frame of Star Kite. Fig. 24.— Star Kite, 

well known in some sections of the country. I have made a 
diagram of it at the request of a number of boys who did not 
know how to make 



Kite Time. 



19 



A Star Kite. 

Build it according to the diagrams (Figs. 23 and 24), making 
the sticks all of equal length, and cover the kite with any col* 
ored paper that may suit your fancy. 

The Chinese Dragon Kite. 

This kite is a most resplendent affair, and glitters in the sun* 
light as if it were covered with jewels. It is rather complicated 
to look at, but not very difficult 
to make. .The one I have be- 
fore me was made in China. 

The top or horizontal stick 
(Fig. 25, 1-2) is three feet long, 
half an inch wide, and one- 
eighth inch thick. The face 
can be simplified by using a 
loop, as in the man kite. Two 
more loops, as shown -^in the 
diagram, will serve as frames 
for the wings. Paper is pasted 
upon this, and hangs loose like an apron in front below the 
cross-stick (1-2). Cut the paper long enough to cover the first 





Fig. 26. 



disk of the tail-piece, as shown in the finished kite. Fig. 27. 
The head-piece is ornamented with briUiant colors, bits of 



20 



Spring. 





Fig. 27.— Portion of Framework of Tail 

looking-glass pasted on or at- 
tached with strings, so that they 
dangle loosely, etc.; this makes 
the top rathef heavy, as, in fact, 
it ought to be, for then it serves 
to balance the tail, which, in this 
instance, is a succession of circu- 
lar kites, ten inches in diameter, 
and thirteen in number, connect- 
ed with one another by strings. 
Attached to each of these paper 
disks is a slender piece of reed 
or grass with a tufted head ; a 
similar tuft is fastened by a string 
to the opposite end to balance 



Fig. 37.— The Chinese Dragon Kite. 



Kite Time, 



21 



it. The breast-band is made like that upon an ordinary kite ; 
the cross-strings, being attached to the face at the top and 
bottom, intersect each other about opposite a point between 
the eyes. 

Fig. 26 represents the top view of a single disk, showing^ 
where the reeds and string are attached. Fig. 27 shows a side 
view of two disks, and the way in which they are connected by 
strings, six and a half inches space being left between each two 
disks. A (Fig. 27) is a front view of finished kite. 

The Japanese Square Kite 

is not, as its name might imply, perfectly square. It is rectan- 
gular in form, and made with a framework of very thin bamboo 
or cane sticks, bound together as shown in 
Fig. 28. This frame is covered with Japan- 
ese paper, to which all the sticks are tightly 
glued. The kite is bent backward, making 
the front slightly convex, and held in this po- 
sition by strings tied from end to end of the 
cross-sticks at the back ; the breast-band may 
be attached as on an ordinary six-sided kite. 
Instead of a tail-band, with a single tail at- 
tached, this foreigner carries two tails, one 
tied at each side to the protruding ends of the ^^^^^ ^ ^ rame. 
diagonal sticks at the bottom of the kite. The illustration on 
page 4, of two boys making ready to fly one of these kites, is a 
copy from a picture made by a Japanese artist. 

The Moving Star 

is a paper lantern attached to the tail of any large kite. 

A Chinese lantern will answer this purpose, although it is 
generally so long and narrow that the motion of the kite is apt 
to set fire to it. 




Fig. 28.— Japanese 



22 



Spring. 



To make a more suitable lantern, take a circular piece of 
light board five inches in diameter, drive three nails in the cen- 
tre just far enough apart to allow a candle to fit between them 
firmly. Make of rattan or wire a light hoop of the same diam- 
eter as the bottom-piece ; fasten these to a strap or handle 




Fig. 29. — Frame of Lantern. 

of wood, or wire, as shown in the diagram (Fig. 29), and cover 
the body of the lantern with red tissue paper. 

This lantern fastened to the tail of a large kite that is sent up 
on a dark night will go bobbing around in a most eccentric 
and apparently unaccountable manner, striking with wonder all 
observers not in the secret. 



CHAPTER II. 

WAR KITES. 

Like all soldiers, war kites should be trim and martial in 
appearance. Their uniform may be as brilliant and fanciful as 
the ingenuity and taste of the builder suggests, always remem- 
bering that Hghtness and strength are essential qualities. An 
appropriate name or emblem, marked, painted, or pasted on, 
would serve not only to distinguish the combatants from their 
more peaceful brother aerostats, but would give to each kite an 
individuality, and thus allow successful veterans to become fa- 
mous throughout kitedom. There are but two *^ arms " to this 
novel *' service," or rather two modes of warfare. The first, tin- 
armed^ might be compared to the friendly jousts of the knights 
of old when they met for trials of skill. The second, armed^ 
is more like the mortal combat where but one survives. 

Unarmed 'War Kite. 

The usual form of the unarmed fighting kite is that of the 
ordinary bow kite. It should be made about two and one-half 
feet high. Base of bow, fourteen inches below top of spine or 
centre-stick, and twenty-seven inches broad. Cover the frame 
with paper cambric. Make the tail of string, with stripes of 
colored paper inserted in loops an inch or so apart. A paper 
tassel at the end will give it a finished look. Ten feet is about 
the proper length of tail for a kite of this size. 

In fighting with this unarmed soldier the object is to cap- 
ture your opponent's kite by entangling its tail in your own 



24 spring. 



string. To do this you must make your kite dart under the 
twine of your enemy. As soon as it darts let out string rapidly 
enough to keep your fighter under control, and at the same 
time allow it to fall to the rear of the other kite. Having ac- 
complished this, drop your ball of string and pull in hand ovex 
hand, as fast as possible. If your enemy is not very spry and 
well up in these tactics, this manoeuvre will hopelessly entan- 
gle his kite-tail on your string. Then, although the battle is 
half won, a great deal depends upon your superior quickness, 
skill, and also upon the strength of yodr twine, which may 
break, or your victim may escape with the loss of part of its 
tail. If, however, you are successful in capturing your pris- 
oner you can write on your kite the date of the victory, and 
the name of the vanquished warrior. The captive must, in all 
cases, be returned to its proper owner after the latter has 
signed his name to the record of his defeat written upon your 
kite. Thus is the successful hero soon covered with the 
records of his victories, while the unsuccessful fighter carries a 
bare blank face. 

Armed Kites 
are of a more relentless and bloodthirsty order than the strate- 
gic unarmed warrior. The peculiar mission of these rampant 
champions of the air is to cut the enemy off from his base of 
supplies ; then with a satisfied wriggle, and a fiendish wag of the 
tail, this ferocious flyer sails serenely on, while his ruined victim 
falls helplessly to the earth, or ignominiously hangs himself on 
some uncongenial tree, where his skeleton will struggle and 
swing until beaten to pieces by the very element that sustained 
him in his elevation before his thread of life was cut. In this 
sport, new to most Northern boys, they will find an exciting 
and healthy pastime, one that will teach them to think and act 
quickly, a quality that when acquired may be of infinite service 
to them in after years. 



War Kites, 25 



Armed Kite Fighting. 

These aero-nautical cutters might be appropriately named 
the Scorpion, " Stingerree," Wasp, or Hornet, because they 
fight with their tails, the sting of the insect being represented 
on the kite-tail by the razor like cutters. 

The tactics used in these battles of the clouds are just the 
opposite from those employed in fighting with unarmed kites. 

To win the battle you so manoeuvre your warrior that its tail 
sweeps across and cuts the string of your antagonist. 

Armed kites are usually made after the pattern of the Amer- 
ican six-sided or hexagonal kite. They are two and one-half 
feet high, covered with paper cambric, or, when economy is no 
object, with silk. 

As a successful warrior looks well after his arms, so should 
the tail of a war kite receive the most careful attention. 

One very popular style of tail is made of strips of bright- 
colored cloth about one inch wide tied securely in the middle to a 
strong twine, the tail ending in a fancy tassel. 

Another style is made of long narrow strips of white cloth 
securely sewed together. This tail is not so apt to become 
knotted or tangled as the first. 



How to Make the Knives. 

The " cutters " to be attached to the tail are made of sharp 
pieces of broken glass called knives. 

From a thick glass bottle, broken off below the neck, chip 
off pieces. This can be done with the back of a heavy knife 
blade or a light hammer. The workman cannot be too careful 
or cautious in breaking or handling the glass, as the least care- 
lessness is sure to result in bad cuts and bloody fingers. 

From the slivers or chips of glass select pieces thick on the 
outside curve, but with a keen sharp inside edge. It may take 



26 



spring. 




Fig. 30.— Cutters. 



time, experience, and several bottles 
to get knives to exactly suit you. 

How to Make Cutters. 

Fasten three knives together with 
wax (Fig. 30) so that each shall point 
in a different direction, bind on this 
three slips of thin wood lengthwise to 
hold the wax and glass firmly, and cov- 
er it neatly with cloth or kid. 

A piece of twine looped at each 
end should pass through the apparatus 
lengthwise. This, of course, to be put 
in before the slips are bound together. 
Excellent cutters can be made of blades 
from an old penknife. 

A much simpler weapon is made 
with a piece of stout twine one foot 
long, dipped in glue and rolled in 
pounded glass until thickly coated with 
a glistening armor of sharp points. 
Two of these incorporated in the lower 
half of the kite's tail will be found to 
be effective cutters. 

Boys participating in this war of 
kites should always bear in mind the fact 
that it requires but little skill to cut an 
unarmed kite, and that there is no honor 
or glory to be gained in vanquishing a 
foe who is unable to defend himself. 

There are many other attachments, 
improvements, and amusing appliances 
that suggest themselves to an enthusi- 
astic kite-flyer. 



War Kites. 



27 



Kite Clubs. 

The field is a large one, and the opportunities for originality 
and ingenuity almost unbounded. If some enthusiastic, ener- 
getic boy will take the initiatory steps, kite clubs might be 
formed throughout the country with appropriate names, rules, 
and regulations, which, during the kite season, would have their 
meets and tournaments, and award prizes to the steadiest 
stander, the highest flyer, and the most original and unique 
design besides the prizes awarded at the jousts of the war 
kites. 

The organization of such clubs would give a new impetus to 
an amusement deserving of greater popularity than it has ever 
attained in this country. 




CHAPTER III. 
NOVEL MODES OF FISHING. 

The Bell Pole. 

In the Gulf States, upon some of the plantations that bordef 
the sluggish streams or bayous peculiar to that part >i the 
country, the field hands have a simple and ingenious contri^ • 
ance by which they are enabled to fish without interfering with 
the discharge of their duties. 

The apparatus used consists of an ordinary cane-pole to 
which a long line with any number of hooks is attached ; an 
old bell is hung at the end of the cane where the line is fas- 
tened. 

The sable sportsmen set a number of poles, rigged in this 
manner, thrusting the butt ends of the rods into the soft bank 
so that they stand almost upright along the edge of the WSLtei" 
upon which the plantation borders. 

After the hooks are baited the lines are cast out as far as 
they will reach into the stream and left to take care of them- 
selves. As soon as a fish is hooked it struggles to free itself, 
but the first plunge the unwary creature makes rings the bell 
at the end of the rod and summons the laborer from the field, 
who leaves his ploughing or planting just long enough to land 
the fish and re-bait the hook. It is seldom that the setting sun 
sees the dusky workmen return to their cabins empty-handed. 

By far the oddest and most original mode of fishing prac- 
tised by the colored people of the Southern States is called by 
them. 



Novel Modes of Fishing, 



29 



«* Jugging for Cats." 

Early one morning, while sauntering along the levee of a 
small town upon the Mississippi, the author met an old colored 
friend, Uncle Eanes. 

*' Whars I gwine ? " queried the old man. ** I was jus 
gwine to git de traps together to jug for cats,— Hi, Hi, neber 
hea tell of dat ? De Lor I 
no sah, not presactly pussy 
cats — cuUored folks eats 
'bout de same as white 
folks (when dey can git it), 
yes, sah ! we's seed purty 
tight times since de war, 
Suah ! but we hasent come 
to eating pussy cats just 
yet. Boss ! Hi, Hi ! Take 
a big jug suah enough to 
hold a tolerable sized mud 
cat ! but we don't cotch 
dem in de jugs. You jest 
come along and I'll show 
you how 'tis. " Uncle Ean- 
es's invitation was accept- 
ed, and the author was in- 



itiated into the mysteries of 




Jug Rigged. 



"jugging for cats," which he found to combine exercise, ex* 
citement and fun in a much greater degree than the usual 
method of angling with rod and reel. 

The tackle necessary in this sport is very simple ; it consists 
of five or six empty jugs tightly corked with corn cobs, as many 
stout lines, each about five feet long with a sinker and large 
hook at the end. One of these lines is tiea to tne handle 04 



30 ' Spring. 



each jug. Fresh liver, angle worms, and balls made of corn 
meal and cotton, are used for bait ; but a bit of cheese, tied up 
in a piece of mosquito netting to prevent its washing away, 
appears to be considered the most tempting morsel. 

When all the hooks are baited, and the fisherman has in- 
spected his lines and found everything ready, he puts the jugs 
into a boat and rows out upon the river, dropping the earthen- 
ware floats about ten feet apart in a line across the middle of 
the stream. The jugs will, of course, be carried down with the 
current, and will have to be followed and watched. When one 
of them begins to behave in a strange manner, turning upside 
down, bobbing about, darting up stream and down, the fisher- 
man knov/s that a large fish is hooked, and an exciting chase 
ensues. It sometimes requires hard rowing to catch the jug, 
for often when the fisherman feels sure of his prize and stretches 
forth his hand to grasp the runaway, it darts off anew, fre- 
quently disappearing from view beneath the water, and coming 
to the surface again, yards and yards away from where it had 
left the disappointed sportsman. 

One would think that the pursuit of just one jug, which a 
fish is piloting around, might prove exciting enough. But 
imagine the sport of seeing four or five of them start off on their 
antics at about the same moment. It is at such a time that 
the skill of a fisherman is tested, for a novice, in his hurry, 
is apt to lose his head, thereby losing his fish also. Instead 
of hauling in his line carefully and steadily, he generally pulls 
it up in such a hasty manner that the fish is able, by a vigor, 
ous flop, to tear himself away from the hook. To be a success- 
ful *' jugger,"one must be as careful and deliberate in taking 
out his fish as though he had only that one jug to attend to, 
no matter how many others may be claiming his attention by 
their frantic signals. The illustration shows how the line is 
rigged. 



Novel Modes of Fishing. 



3» 



The Dancing Fisherman 

is another method of catching fish, in principle similar to jug- 
a jumping-jack, or small, jointed maa, 



of 



ging, by means 
whose limbs ar^; 
moved by jerking 
a string attached to 
them. This little 
figure is fastened 
to a stick, which is 
secured in an up- 
right position on a 
float made of a 
piece of board. 
Through a hole in 
the float is passed 
the string attached 
to the figure, and 
tied securely to 
this are the hook 
and line. After 
the hook Is baited, 
the float is placed 
on the surface of 
the water, and the 
little man, standing 
upright, is left to 
wait in patience. 

Presently a fish, ^^'''^^' 

attracted by the bait, comes nearer the surface, seizes the hook 
quickly, and darts downward, pulling the string, and making 
the little figure throw up its arms and legs as though dancing 
for joy at having performed its task so welL The capering of 




32 



spring. 



Jack IS the signal to his master that a fish has been caught and 
is struggling to free itself from the hook. This manner of fish- 
ing is necessarily confined to quiet bodies of water, such as 
small lakes or ponds ; for in rough water poor little Jack would 
be upset. Fig. 31 shows how to rig the '* dancing fisherman." 



Toy Boats for Fishing. 

Trolling, by means of rudely made toy boats, is a sport the 
ovelty of which will certainly recommend itself. , 

The boat can be made out of a piece of plank any where from 
a foot to two and one-half feet long, according to the size 




Fig. 32. 

of the fish to be caught. Sharpen the plank at one end and 
rig it with one or two masts and sails of paper or cloth. The 
rudder must be very long in proportion to the size of the boat, 
to prevent its making lee way and to keep it on a straight 
course. To nails in the stern of the boat tie fish lines rigged 
with spoon or live bait (Fig. 32). This diminutive fishing- 
smack will not alarm the finny inhabitants of the water as a 
larger boat might, but when sailing before the wind will troll 



Novel Modes of Fishing, 33 

the bait in a manner that appears to be irresistible to bass or 
pickerel, and sometimes even the mud-loving cat-fish will rise 
and swallow the hook. A whole fleet of these little vessels 
may be attended by one boy if he has a boat in which to row 
immediately to the assistance of any of his toy boats, whose 
suspicious movements betray the presence of a fish in tow. 

The Wooden Otter 

consists of a board two feet long, three inches wide, and one- 
half-inch thick, made to float on edge in the water by weight- 
ing the lower part of the plank with lead, iron, or even stones, 
tied on with strings. By means of a breast-band rigged like 
that on a kite, a strong tow-line is fastened to the "otter." At 
intervals along the tow-line, shorter lines are attached baited 
with artificial flies, spoon hooks, dead or live bait, as the case 
may be, the bait of course depending altogether upon the fish 
. you are after. As you walk or row, the " otter " sheers off and 
the baits comb the water in a tantalizing way that is fatal to 
trout, bass, or pickerel. So "killing" is this instrument that it 
should only be used to replenish the larder when provisions are 
running short in camp. 

Fishing for Fresh-Water Clams. 

Mussels, or fresh-water clams, are prized by many boys on 

account of the pearly opalescent substance of which the shell is 

icomposed, it being an excellent material of which to make fin- 

*ger-rings and charms. Not unfrequently pearls of great beauty 

are found concealed within the shells of these bivalves. 

The empty shells found upon the beach are never very 
highly prized, and are called by collectors dead shells. Shells 
of any kind which contain the living animal when collected, 
are ever after called live shells, for they still retain all their 
freshness and lustre after the inmate has been removed. To 



34 Spring. 



collect live mussel shells, you must wade, dive, or, if the watei 
is clear enough for you to distinguish objects upon the bottom, 
fish for them, not with a hook and line, but with a long twig, 
from which all branches and leaves have been removed except- 
ing a single bud on the end (Fig. 33). As soon as you detect 
a bivalve, you will discover its shells to be partially open. 

Carefully in-sert the bud, that you have left upon the end 
of your stick, between the gaping lips of the shell, the instant 



Fig. 33. 



Fig. 34. 

that the animal within feels the touch it will close its doors 
firmly, of course holding the switch between the shells. The 
bud at the end prevents the stick from slipping out, and the 
animal is caught by taking advantage of the very means it uses 
for protection. 

A simple contrivance for catching small frogs, eels, and liz^ 
ards, for the aquarium consists of an elder stick, with one end 
cut like a quill pen with the points spread apart, as shown in 
sketch (Fig. 34). 

To use this you must approach a pond or brook very cau- 
tiously so as not to frighten your game. Through the clear 
water the little creatures can be seen resting quietly on the 
bottom. If you are careful not to make any disturbance or 
sudden movement you may get your elder lance poised over 
your lizard, newt, or frog, within an inch or so of its body, with- 
out disturbing him ; then with a quick movement push the stick 
and animal both into the mud. On drawing out the stick you 
will find your captive squirming between the split ends of the 



Novee Modes of Fishing. 



35 



elder — from which he can be removed without serious injury. 
With practice you can perfect yourself in this aquarian sport so 
as seldom to lose or injure your specimens. 

The snare made of fine wire in the form of a slip noose is so 
well known to the boys in general, that it is no novelty and 
unnecessary to describe. 




CHAPTER IV. 
HOME-MADE FISHING TACKLE. 

The Rod. . 

It not unfrequently happens that an amateur is unable to 
take advantage of most excellent fishing, for the want of 
proper or necessary tackle. 

It may be that he is accidentally in the neighborhood of a 
pickerel pond or trout stream, or that his fishing tackle is lost 
or delayed in transit. Under such circumstances a little prac- 
tical ingenuity is invaluable. If within reach of any human 
habitation you can, in all probability, succeed in finding suffi- 
cient material with which to manufacture not only a rod which 
will answer your purpose, but a very serviceable reel. To rig 
up a home-made trout rod, you need a straight, slender, elastic 
pole, such as can be found in any wood or thicket, some pins, 
and a small piece of wire. File off the head of several pins, 
sharpen the blunt ends, and bend them into the form of the 
letter U. At a point about two feet from the butt end of the 
rod drive the first pin, leaving enough of the loop above the 
wood to allow the fish line to pass freely through ; drive the 
other pins upon the same side of the rod and at regular inter- 
vals. Make the tip of a piece of wire by bending a neat cir- 
cular loop in the centre, and then knitting or binding the wire 
on the end of the pole (Fig. 35). Should you have enough wire, 
it will answer much better for the other loops than the pins. 
If at a farm-house look in the attic for an old bonnet frame, or 
some similar object likely to be at hand, and it will furnish you 
with plenty of material. Cut the wire in pieces about two and 



Home-Made Fishing Tackle. 



37 



a half inches long, make a simj5le loop in the centre of each 
piece, and with a "waxed end" or strong thread bind the 
ends of the wire lengthwise on the rod, then give each loop a 



Fig. 35. 




Fig. z6. 

turn, twisting it in proper position (Fig. 36). With a large 
wooden spool, an old tin can, and a piece of thick wire, a first- 
rate reel may be manufactured. 

Tin and Spool Reel. 




Fig. 37.— Construction of the Tin and Spool ReeL 



38 



Spring, 



Put the wire through the spool, allowing about one inch ta 
protrude at one end and about three inches at the opposite end. 
Wedge the wire in firmly by driving soft pine sticks around it, 
and trim off the protruding ends of the sticks. Cut a piece of 
tin in the shape shown by the diagram (Fig. 37), punch a hole 
in each side piece for the wire to pass through, leaving plenty 
of room for the spool to revolve freely. Turn the side-pieces 
up upon each side of the spool, and bend the long end of the 
wire in the form of a crank. Hammer the bottom piece of tin 
over the rod until it takes the curved form, and fits tightly, then 
with strong wax string bind it firmly to the rod. If it should 
happen that a piece of tin could not be procured, a reel can be 
made of a forked stick and a spool. 



The Forked-Stick Reel. 

Cut a forked stick and shave off the inside flat, as in Fig. 
38, cut two notches near the bottom, one upon each side ; this 





\ Fig. 38. Fig. 39. 

will allow the fork to bend readily at these points. Make a 
•mall groove for a string at the top of each prong. Put the spool 



Home-Made Fishing Tackle. 39 

between the prongs, allowing the wire to protrude through holes 
bored for that purpose. Bend the long end of the wire in the 
form of a crank. Tie a string across from end to end of the 
prongs to hold them in proper position, and you have a rustic 
but serviceable reel (Fig. 39). It may be attached to the pole 
in either manner shown by Figs. 40 and 41. Boys who find 





Fig. 40. Fig. 41. 

pleasure in outdoor sports should always be ready with expedi- 
ents for any emergency. A fish hook is rather a difficult 
thing to manufacture, though I have seen them made of a bird's 
claw bound to a piece of shell by vegetable fibre. I would 
not advise my readers to attempt to make one. A better plan 
is to always carry a supply about your person, inside the lining 
of your hat being a good place to deposit small hooks. For 
black bass, pickerel, and many other fish, Hve minnows are the 
best bait. To catch them you need a net. 

Home-Made Nets. 

A simple way to make a minnow net is to stretch a piece of 
mosquito netting between two stout sticks. If deemed neces- 
sary, floats may be fastened at the top and sinkers at the bot- 
tom edge of the net (Fig. 42). Coarse bagging may be used if 
mosquito netting is not obtainable. But with a forked stick and 
a ball of string for material, a jack-knife, and your fingers for 
tools, a splendid scoop-net can be made that will not only last, 
but be as good, if not better, than any you could purchase. 
Cut a good stout sapling that has two branches (Fig. 43). Trim 



40 



Spring. 



off all other appendages, and bend the two branches until the 
ends over-lap each other for some distance, bind the ends firmly 
and neatly together with waxed twine, if it can be had — if not, 
with what string you have (Fig. 44). 

Fasten the pole in a convenient position so that the hoop 




Fig. 42. ^ 

is about level with your face. If you want the net two feet 
deep, cut a number of pieces of twine seven or eight feet long, 
double them, and slip them on the hoop in the manner shown 
by the first string (Fig. 45), 



Home-Made Fishing Tackle. 



4» 



Beginning at the most convenient point, take a string from 
each adjoining pair and make a simple knot of them, as shown 




by the diagram. Continue all the way around the hoop knot- 
ting the strings together in this manner. Then commence on 
the next lower row and so on until you reach a point where, in 
your judgment the net ought to commence to narrow or taper 
down. This can 
be accomplished 
by knotting the strings a littl 
closer together, and cutting off 
one string of a pair at four equi- 
distant points in the same row. 
Knot as before until you come to 
a clipped line ; here you must 
take a string from each side of the 
single one and knot them, being 
careful to make it come even with 
others in the same row. Before 
tightening the double knot pass 
the single string through, and 
after tying a knot close to the double one cut the string ofif 
close. (See Fig. 45 A.) 

Continue as before until the row is finished, only deviating 




Fig. 45. 



42 



spring. 



from the original plan when a single string is reached. Proceed 
in a like manner with the next and the next rows, increasing 
the number of strings eliminated until the remaining ones meet 
at the bottom, being careful not to let one drop mesh come di- 
«rectly under another of the same kind. 

A scoop-net can be made of a piece of mosquito netting by 
sewing it in the form of a bag, and fastening it to a pole and 
hoop made of a forked stick like the one just described. 

Minnows must be kept alive, and tin buckets, with the top 
half perforated with holes, are made for that purpose. These 
buckets, when in use, are secured by a string and hung in the 
water, the holes in the sides allowing a constant supply of fresh 
breathing material to the little fish within. 



A Home-Made Minnow Bucket. 

Take any tin bucket that has a lid to it and punch holes in 
the top and upper part with a nail and hammer, 
or some similar instruments. If a tin bucket 
cannot be had, a large-sized tin can will an- 
swer the purpose. The illustration (Fig. 46) 
shows a minnow bucket made in this manner. 
Fig. 47 shows the proper manner of baiting 
with a live minnow. The cartilaginous mouth 
of a fish has little or no feeling in it. A hook 
passed from beneath the under jaw through it 
— - ^ and the upper lip will neither kill nor 




^L injure the minnow. As it allows the 

Pjq^ g^ little creature to swim freely, there is 

a much greater chance of getting a 

bite than with a dead or mangled bait. The latter is a sign of 

either cruelty or ignorance on the part of the fisherman. 



Home-Made Fishing Tackle. 43 

Inhabitants of the Water. 

How natural it is to speak of a love for the sea, or an 
intimate acquaintance and knowledge of the ocean, when, in 
reality, it is only the top or surface of the water that is meant, 
while the hidden mysteries that underlie the billows, the sea- 
world proper — its scenery, inhabitants, and history — are but 



Fig. 47. 

partially known, except to our most learned naturalists. The 
occasional glimpses we have of queer and odd specimens kid 
napped from this unknown realm make it natural for us to feel 
a curiosity to know and a desire to see the life and forms that 
are concealed beneath the waves. 

What boy can sit all day in a boat, or upon the green shady 
bank of an inland stream, watching the floating cork of his fish 
line without experiencing a longing for some new patent trans- 
parent diving bell, in which, comfortably ensconced at the bot- 
tom of the water, he might see all that goes on in that unfamiliar 
country. 

In the next chapter I propose to show how this natural 
curiosity or desire for knowledge may be gratified, not exactly 
by placing you at the bottom of the water, but by transporting 
a portion of this curious world, with its liquid atmosphere and 
living inhabitants into your own house, where you may inspect 
and study it at your leisure. 



CHAPTER V. 

HOW TO STOCK, MAKE, AND KEEP A FRESH. 
WATER AQUARIUM. 

Although marine animals may surpass the inhabitants of 
fresh water in strangeness of form and tint, there are some 
fresh -water fish upon whom Mother Nature appears to have 
lavished her colors ; and there are enough aquatic objects to be 
found, in any stream or pond, to keep all my readers bus); 
and happy for years in studying their habits and natural his-/ 
tory. One must have a certain amount of knowledge of the 
habits of an animal before he can expect to keep it in a thriving 
condition in captivity. This knowledge is gained by observa- 
tion, and success depends upon the common sense displayed in 
discreetly using the information thus obtained. 

Do not make the common mistake of supposing that an 
aquarium is only a globe or ornamental tank, made to hold a 
few lazy gold-fish. Do not have china swans floating about 
upon the top of the water, nor ruined castles submerged beneath 
the surface. Such things are in bad taste. Generally speak- 
ing, ruined castles are not found at the bottoms of lakes and 
rivers, and china swans do not swim on streams and ponds. 
If you determine to have an aquarium, have one whose con- 
tents will afford a constant source of amusement and instruc- 
tion — one that will attract the attention and interest of visit- 
ors as soon as they enter the room where it is. Sea-shells, 
corals, etc., should not be used in a fresh-water aquarium ; 
they not only look out of place, but the lime and salts they 



How to Stock a Fresh-Water Aquarium, 45 

contain will injure both fish and plant. Try to make your 
aquarium a miniature lake in all its details, and you will find 
the effect more pleasing to the eye. By making the artificial 
home of the aquatic creatures conform as nearly as possible to 
their natural ones you can keep them all in a healthy and 
lively condition. 

At the bird-stores and other places where objects in natural 
history are sold, you may buy an aquarium of almost any size 
you wish, from the square tank with heavy iron castings to the 
small glass globe ; the globes come in ten sizes. 

Some time ago, when the author, then quite a small boy, 
was spending the summer upon the shores of Lake Erie, the 
older members of the household frequently went out on the lake 
after black bass, taking with them for bait a pailof the beautiful 
** painted minnows " found in the little brooks of Northern Ohio. 
Upon the return of a fishing party the minnows left iri the pail 
were claimed by the children as their share of the spoils, but 
the little fish would scarcely live a day ; in spite of all that could 
be done they would, one by one, turn upon their backs and ex- 
pire. This was the source of much disappointment and re- 
morseful feelings on the part of the children. One day half 
the minnows from the pail were poured into a large flat dish, 
that they might be better seen as they swam about ; here they 
were forgotten for the time ; on the morrow all the fish in the 
pail were found to be dead, but those in the flat dish were per- 
fectly lively and well. This discovery led to a series of ex- 
periments which the author has continued at times up to the 
present date, and he feels no hesitancy in saying that, if the 
manufacturers of aquariums in this country had made it their 
object to build vessels in which no respectable fish could live, 
they could hardly have succeeded better, for they all violate 
this first rule : the greater the surface of water exposed to 
the air, the greater the quantity of oxygen absorbed from the» 



46 ' Spring. 



atmosphere. Amateurs must bear in mind that *• the value of 
water depends not so much on its bulk as on the advantageous 
distribution of its bulk over large spaces." In other words, flat, 
shallow vessels are the best. 

In the light of this fact the author set to work to build his 
first aquarium. The materials for its construction were bought 
of the town glazier's son. The amount paid was several mar- 
bles, a broken-bladed Barlow knife, and a picture of the school 
teacher sketched in lead pencil upon the fly-leaf of a spelling- 
book. In exchange for these treasures, several fragments of 
window-glass, some paint, an old brush, and a lump of putty, 
was received. Two or three days' work resulted in the produc- 
tion of an aquarium. It was only twelve inches long, eight 
inches wide, and four inches high ; but, although this tank was 
small, it was a real aquarium, and would hold water and living 
pets. A piece of glass 12x8 inches formed the bottom. The 
sides were fastened on by simply pasting paper along the out- 
side edges ; if left in this condition of course the water would 
leak through the cracks, soften the paper, and produce disas* 
trous results. 

To prevent this the cracks upon the inside were carefully 
puttied up and the putty covered with thin strips of glass, 
which the glazier good-naturedly cut for the purpose ; this not 
only prevented the tank from leaking, but added greatly to its 
strength. The paper corners and all the outside, excepting 
the front was then covered with two or three coats of paint. 
The front glass was left clean for observation. A piece of pine 
board formed the base of the little aquarium. After it was 
carefully puttied around the bottom, where the glass set in the 
board, the latter was nicely painted to correspond with the rest 
of the structure, the whole was left to dry. Crude as this tank 
may appear from the description, it did not look so, and best 
of all it never leaked. 



How to Stock a Fresh-lVater Aquarium, 47 



With a dip-net, made of an old piece of mosquito-netting, 
what fun it was to explore the spaces between the logs of the 
rafts in front of the old saw- mill ! and what curious creatures 
were found lurking there ! Little gars, whose tiny forms looked 
like bits of sticks ; young spoon-bill fish (paddle-fish), with ex- 
aggerated upper lips one-third the length of their scaleless 
bodies ; funny little black cat-fish, that looked for all the world 
like tadpoles, and scores of other creatures. Under the green 
vegetation in those spaces they found a safe retreat from the 
attacks of larger fish. 

If a constant supply of fresh water can be kept flowing in 
an aquarium, or the water constantly aerified by agitation, the 
ordinary misshapen tank may 



be run successfully. The glass 
globe, the most unnatural of 
all forms for aquariums, can be 
utilized in this way. There 
used to be in the window of 
a jewelry store, in an Ohio 
town, an ordinary glass fish- 
globe, in which lived and 
thrived a saucy little brook 
trout. Brook-trout, as most 
of my readers know, are found 
only in cool running water, 
and will not live for any great 
length of time in an ordinary 
aquarium. In this case, an 
artificial circulation of water 
was produced by means of a 




Fig. 48.— Globe and Pump. 



little pump run by clock-work. Every morning the jewellet 
wound up the machine, and all day long the little pump worked, 
pumping up the water from the globe, only to send it back 



48 



Spring. 



again in a small but constant stream which poured from the 
little spout, each drop carrying with it into the water of the 
globe a small quantity of fresh air, including, of course, oxygen 
gas. (See Fig. 48.) And the little speckled trout lived and 
thrived, and, for aught I know to the contrary, is still swim- 
ming around in his crystal prison, waiting, with ever-ready 
mouth, to swallow up the blue-bottle flies thrown to him by his 
friend the jeweller. It is a great mistake to suppose that it is 
necessary to change the water in an aquarium every few days. 
The tank should be so arranged as to seldom if ever require a 
change of water. This is not difficult to accomplish. 

If possible, have your aquarium made under your own eyes. 
Suppose you wish one, two feet long ; then it should be sixteen 
inches wide and seven inches high ; or 24'' x f X \^" . Figure 
49 shows an aquarium of the proper form and proportions. 




Fig. 49. 

Figure 50 shows the popular, but unnatural and improper form. 
With a properly made aquarium, after it is once stocked with 
the right proportion of plant and animal life, there is no neces- 
sity of ever changing the water. 

Both animals and plants breathe, and what is life to the 
plant is poison to the animal. Animals absorb oxygen and 
throw off carbonic acid gas ; this gas the plants inhale, separat- 
ing it into carbon and oxygen, absorbing the carbon, which is 



How to Stock a Fresh-JVafer Aquarium, 49 



converted into their vegetable tissue, and throwing off the free 
oxygen for the animals to breathe. By having plants as well 
as animals in your tank, both classes are supplied with breathing 
material. When you start your aquarium, first cover the bot- 
tom with sand and gravel. Then build your rockery ; it is 
better to cement it together and into place. 

After this is all arranged, go to the nearest pond or brook, 
and dredge up some water plants. Any, that are not too large, 
will do — starwort, milfoil, bladder- wort, pondweed, etc. Fast- 




FiG. so. 

en the roots of your plants to small stones with a bit of string, 
and arrange them about the tank to suit your taste. Fill the 
tank with water, and let it stand in the window for a week or 
two, where it will receive plenty of light and but little sun. 
By that time all your plants will be growing, and numerous 
other little plants will have started into life of their own accord. 
Then you may add your animals, and, if you do not overstock 
the tank, you need never change the water. Be sure not to 
handle the fish ; if, for any cause, you wish to remove them, 
lift them gently with a dip-net, 
\ 



so 



5 



'\pring. 



Should you wish to keep a httle turtle, a crawfish, or any 
such animal, you must have your rockery so arranged that part 




Fig. 52. 



of it will protrude above the water ; or, better still, have a viva- 
rium or land-and-water aquarium, such as is shown in Figures 5t 



How to Stock a Fresh-Water AqMarium. 51 




and 52. With a tank made upon this plan you can have aquatic 
plants as well as land plants and flowers, a sandy beach for the 
turtle to sleep upon, as he loves to do, and a rockery for the 
crawfish to hide in and keep out of mischief. Some species oil 
snails like to crawl occasionally above the 
water-line. Such an aquarium makes an inter- 
esting object for the conservatory. 

Figure No. 53 shows how a fountain can be 
made. The opening of the fountain should 
be so small as to allow only a fine jet of water 
to issue from it ; the reservoir, or supply-tank 
should be out of sight, and quite large, so that, 
by filling it at night, the fountain will keep play- 
ing all day. The waste-pipe should open at 
the level you intend to keep 
the water, and the opening 
should be covered with a piece 
of mosquito-netting or wire- 
gauze to prevent any creature 
from being drawn in. 

In an aquarium with a slant- 
ing bottom, only the front need 
be of glass ; the other three 
which is also a good material for 
and lakes, the only light 



i 




Fig. 53- 

sides can be made of slate, 

the false bottom. In ponds, rivers, 

received comes from above ; so we can understand that a vessel 

admitting light upon all sides, as well as from the top, forms 

an unnaturally luminous abode for fish., The glass front is 

sufficient for the spectator to see through. 

The author has a tank twenty-five inches long, eleven inches 
wide, and twelve inches high — far too narrow and deep ; but 
these defects have been, in a measure, overcome by filling it 
only two-thirds full of water, and allowing the green vegetation. 



52 . spring. 

to grow undisturbed upon three sides of the aquarium ; the re- 
maining side is kept clean by rubbing off all vegetable matter 
once a week with a long-handled bottle-washer. A rag or a 
piece of sponge, tied upon the end of a stick, will answer the 
same purpose. This tank has been in a flourishing condition 
for three years, and the water has been changed only once, and 
then all the water was removed so that some alteration could 
be made in the rockery. 

But one of the inmates has died since last summer, and that 
was a bachelor stickleback, who probably received a nip from 
the pincers of one of the craw-fish. Two of these creatures have 
their den in the rockery that occupies the centre of the tank. 
A German carp, from the Washington breeding-ponds, browses 
all day long upon the mossy surface of the rocks, or roots 
around the bottom, taking great mouthfuls of sand and then puff- 
ing it out again like smoke. A striped dace spends most of his 
time lying flat upon his stomach on the bottom, or roosting 
like some subaqueous bird upon branches of the aquatic plants 
or on a submerged rock. A big and a little ** killie " dart 
around after the boat-bugs, which they seldom catch ; and if 
they do, they drop them again in great trepidation. A diminu- 
tive pond-bass asserts his authority over the larger fish in a 
most tyrannous manner. An eel lives under the sand in the 
bottom, and deigns to make his appearance only once in sev- 
eral months, much to the amazement of the other inhabitants, 
all of whom seem to forget his presence until the smell of a bit 
of meat brings his long body from his retreat. Numerous Httie 
'aiussels creep along the bottom ; periwinkles and snails crawl 
up and down the sides ; caddice-worms cling to the plants, and 
everything appears perfectly at home and contented. 

And why ? Because their home is arranged as nearly as 
possible like their natural haunts, where .they were captured. 
Learn the habits of any creature ^ and give it a chance to/ollozo 



How to Stock a Fresh-JVater Aquarium. 53 

them, and yon^ will find little difficulty in keeping it healthy 
in captivity. 

Stocking. 

Feed your fish on insects once or twice a week. Do not try 
to force them to eat ; if they are hungry, they need little per- 
suasion. Boat-bugs, whirligig-beetles, and, in fact, almost all 
the aquatic bugs and beetles, will eat lean, raw meat, if given 
to them in small bits. 

Water-bugs and insects will become almost as tame as the 
fish, and even dispute with the latter over a dainty piece 
of food. One of the most amusing sights is a tiny thread-like 
eel and a pugnacious whirligig-beetle fighting for the possession 
of a fly. The eel generally comes off victorious : if he succeeds 
in once getting a good hold of the fly, he will make a cork- 
screw or spiral of his body, then commence revolving so rapidly 
as to often throw the whirligig out of the water. 

Remember that aquatic animals, like all other creatures, are 
very variable in their appetites ; some are gluttons, some eat 
sparingly, some prefer animal food, while others live entirely 
upon vegetable matter. Carp, dace, and such fish will eat 
bread ; bass, pickerel, and gars will not 

Never allow any food to remain in the bottom of the aqua- 
rium to spoil, for it will contaminate the water. The vegeta- 
rians in your tank will feed upon the plants growing therein, and 
they will all eat bread. Most fish will like the prepared food 
which you can obtain at any aquarium store. 

In selecting fish for your aquarium, be careful to have the 
perch, sun-fish, and bass much smaller than the dace, carp, or 
gold-fish ; otherwise the last-named fish will soon find a resting- 
place inside the former. 

Never put a large frog in an aquarium, for he will devour 
everything there. A bull-frog that I kept in my studio for 



54 Spring. 

more than a year'swallowed fish, live mice, and brown bats ; he 
also swallowed a frog of nearly his own size; but when he en^ 
gulfed a young alligator, we were almost as amazed as if he had 
swallowed himself. 

The Frog. 

For the benefit of the curious, here is a partial record of Mr. 
Frog's meals from May until November : 

May 14th. — Over a dozen brown beetles. 

May 15th. — One full-grown live mouse. 

May 19th. — One full-grown spotted frog. 

May 24th. — A piece of beef one-third size of the frog himself. 

June 2d, 9 A.M. — One live mouse. 

June 2d, I P.M. — One live mouse. 

June 5th. — A piece of steak one-half size of the frog. 

July 1 8th. — One full-grown live mouse. 

July 20th. — One young alligator 11 y^ inches long. 

This was a pet alligator, and I just came in in time to see 
the tip of his tail sticking out of the frog's mouth. Taking hold 
of the alligator's tail I helped Mr. Frog disgorge my pet, but 
the saurian was dead. 

July 27th. — One full-grown live mouse. 

July 29th. — One full-grown live mouse. 

August 9th. — One full-grown live mouse. 

September 17th. — One large brown bat. 

September 20th. — One live craw-fish, 

September 21st. — Two live craw-fish. 

September 22d. — One live craw-fish. 

September 25th, 27th, and October 8th. — Each one full- 
l^rown live mouse. 

November 15th. — This gluttonous frog ate two-thirds of a 
white perch and 

November 17th. — Died of a fit of indigestion. 



Ho% to Stock a Fresh-JVater Aquarium, 55 

But so celebrated had the frog become on account of his 
pluck and voracious appetite, that his obituary was published 
in several papers. 

Craw-fish are very mischievous ; they pull up the plants, up- 
set the rockery, nip the ends off the fishes' tails, crack the mus 
sel-shells, pull out the inmates and devour them, squeeze the 
caddice-worm from his little log-house, and, in fact, are incorri- 
gible mischief-makers. But, from that very fact, I always keep 
one or two small ones. The other inhabitants of the aquarium 
soon learn to dread the pincer of these fresh-wat^f lobsters, and 
keep out of the way. Tadpoles are always an interesting addi- 
tion to an aquarium. 

Pickerel and gars should be kept in an aquarium by them- 
selves. 

Pond-bass rnake^ very intelligent pets. I once had three 
hundred of these little fellows, perfectly tame. Down in one 
corner of the cornfield I found two patent washing-machines, 
the beds of which were shaped like scow-boats. These old ma- 
chines were fast going to ruin, and I readily gained permission 
to use them for whatever purpose I wished ; so, with a hatchet, 
I knocked off the legs and top-gear ; then removed a side from 
each box, and fastened the two together, making a tank about 
four feet square. The seam, or crack, where the two parts joined, 
was filled with oakum, and the whole outside was thickly 
daubed with coal-tar. The tank was then set in a hole dug 
for that purpose, and dirt filled in and packed around the sides. 
Back of it I piled rocks, and planted ferns in all the cracks 
and crannies, and also put rocks in the centre of the tank, first 
covering the bottom with sand and gravel. After filling this 
with water and plants, three hundred little bass were introduced^ 
and they scon became so tame that they would follow my finger 
all around, or would jump out of the water for a bit of meat 
held between the fingers. Almost any wild creatures will 



56 spring. 



yield to persistent kind treatment, and become tame. Gener- 
ally, too, they learn to have a sort of trustful affection for theif 
keepers, who, however, to earn the confidence of such friends, 
should be almost as wise, punctual, and unfailing as good Dame 
Nature herself. 

Gold-Fish versus Bass. 

One of the same bass, which I gave to a friend of mine, 
lived in an ordinary glass globe for three years. It was a very 
intelligent fish, but very spiteful and jealous. My friend's 
mother thought it was lonesome, and so, one day, she brought 
home a beautiful gold-fish — a little larger than the bass — to 
keep it company. She put the gold-fish in the globe, and 
watched the bass, expecting to see it wonderfully pleased ; 
but the little wretch worked himself into a terrible passion, 
erected every spine upon his back, glared a moment at the in- 
truder, and then made a dart forward, seized the gold-fish by 
the abdomen, and shook it as a terrier-dog shakes a rat, until 
the transparent water was glittering all over with a shower of 
golden scales. As soon as possible, the carp was rescued ; but 
it was too late. He only gasped and died. The vicious little 
bass swam around and around his globe, biting in his rage at 
all the floating scales. Ever after, he was allowed to live a 
hermit's life, and he behaved himself well. At last the family 
went away for a couple of weeks, and, when they returned, the 
poor little bass lay dead at the bottom of his globe. 

It might be well to state, before finishing this article, that 
common putty, after being exposed to the action of water, is 
very apt to soften and crumble away, or drop off in large flakes. 
Painting it will not prevent this. In New York, and I suppose 
other large cities, the aquarium-stores keep a substance which 
they call aquarium cement. It looks like red putty, but I have 
found that it withstands the action of water admirably. For 



How to Stock a Fresh-Water Aquarium, 57 

fifty cents enough can be purchased to cement a large aqua- 
rium ; but for the benefit of those among my readers who Hve 
out of the cities, the following receipt from the Scientific Amer- 
ican is inserted. 

" Aquarium Cement. — Linseed oil, 3 oz. ; tar,- 4 oz. ; resin, 
I lb.; melt together over a gentle fire. If too much oil is used 
the cement will run down the angles of the aquarium; to obvi- 
ate this it should be tested before using by allowing a small 
quantity to cool under water ; if not found sufficiently firm, allow 
it to simmer longer or add more tar and resin. The cement 
should be poured in the corners of the aquarium while warm 
(not hot). This cement is pliable, and is not poisonous." 




Whirligig and the Eel. 



CHAPTER VI. 

HOW TO KEEP AQUATIC PLANTS IN THE HOUSE 
OR FLOWER-GARDEN. 

In gathering plants for your aquarium you will undoubt- 
edly see many much too large for your purpose, and yet so 
beautiful that you naturally desire to keep them. Some water 
plants are extremely lovely and all of them odd when seen 
growing anywhere but in their accustomed places. Water- 
lilies growing in the midst of a lawn will be sure to excite sur- 
prise, and cat-tails flourishing in a conservatory will be a nov- 
elty. Yet it is a comparatively simple matter to rear these and 
other aquatic plants in your house and garden. 

Water-Lily. 

Select a spot in your flower-bed and make an excavation o< 
sufiicient depth to set a water-tight barrel in, so that the top 
of the barrel will be even with the surface of the ground. Set 
the barrel in and fill the earth around. In the bottom of the 
barrel put about eight or ten inches of black pond- mud ; plant 
the water-lily roots firmly in centre of mud. Fill the barrel 
with water, being careful to pour it in gradually, so as not to 
disturb or displace the mud. Figure 54 shows a cross-section of 
ground and barrel. Everything being then as it is in the nat- 
ural or wild state, the lily will flourish and bloom, adding a 
beautiful and curious feature to your plat. Supply fresh watef 
only as the water in the barrel evaporates. 



6o Spring, 



Cat-Tails. 

Cat-tails are of graceful form and make a pretty back- 
ground. At the nearest marsh dig up a bunch of good health> 
ones and plant them in some of their native mud in a water- 
tight box or pail. Set the box or pail in the earth. A cover 
of plank, with a round hole in the centre for the cat-tails to 
come through, should be put over the top and covered with the 
sod. Half an inch of water over the surface of the mud in 
box or pail is all that is necessary. (See illustration, Fig. 55.) 
Figure 56 shows how cat-tails may be disposed of in-doors, or 
where it is inconvenient to make room for them in the soil. 
A very unique and effective floral arrangesSsent may be made 
by grouping pot-plants around them. 



CHAPTER VII. 

HOW TO STOCK AND KEEP A MARINE AQUA- 
RIUM. 

The first introduction of the aquarium revealed another 
world and its inhabitants : a world of enchantment, far surpass- 
ing any described in the ** Arabian Nights " or fairy tales ; a 
world teeming with life so strange that some of it we can 
scarcely believe to be real. 

The marine aquarium has laid bare secrets that have been 
locked in the breast of the ocean for ages. Through the crystal 
sides of the tanks are now shown living animals, of forms so 
lovely and delicate as to remind us of the tracery of frost-work. 
We can behold in the transparent waters fishes circling about, 
with distended fins that resemble the gorgeous wings of but- 
terflies ; and we can see, glancing here and there, other fish, 
the glitter of whose glosBy sides dazzles us and is as various in 
hue as the rainbow. The rocks at the bottom are carpeted with 
animals in the forms of lovely flowers ! 

The remarks in regard to the form and general construction 
of fresh-water aquariums will apply equally to marine tanks. 
The best form for the latter is the shallow vessel with a slanting 
false bottom, described in a preceding chapter and illustrated 
by Figures 51 and 52. 

If you have a common rectangular tank, such as can be 
purchased at any aquarium-store (Fig. 50), it may be rendered 
inhabitable for marine animals by making a few improvements. 
Four tall glass panels admit too much light ; therefore give the 



62 • spring. 



oittsids of the gb^o a coat of green paint on all but one side, 
leave that clean and transparent to serve as a window, through 
which may be observed the interior and its occupants. The 
rockery or arch that is to occupy the centre of the aquarium 
should be cemented together with marine cement. Although 
this is not absolutely necessary, it is the best plan, and prevents 
many accidents. The following receipt I cull from the Scientific 
America7t : 

Cemetit for Marine Aquaria. — Take lO parts, by measure, 
litharge, lO parts plaster-of-Paris, lO parts dry white sand, I 
part finely powdered resin, and mix them when wanted for use 
into a pretty stiff putty with boiled linseed oil. This will stick 
to wood, stone, metal or glass, and hardens under water. It 
resists the action of salt water. It is better not to use the tank 
until three days after it has been cemented. 

The arch may be built out of clean cinders or ragged and 
irregular stones ; an old oyster-shell with its rough side upper- 
most can be used as a top-piece. To make the arch steady 
and not liable to upset, the bottom should be composed of 
rather large flat stones. 

Cover the bottom of the aquarium to a depth of an inch or 
more with sand from the beach. Procure the salt water from 
the ocean itself, and if possible obtain the supply some distance 
from shore. In no case must you dip the water for your aqua- 
rium up from the mouth of a fresh-water stream or muddy 
creek. If the tank is narrow and deep, fill only about one-third 
of 't. Let the water stand in the aquarium for several days 
bei :)re introducing the plants. Select the bright algae or sea- 
weeds that you find attached to small pebbles ;,the stones will 
of course sink to the bottom of your aquarium and keep the 
plants in an upright and stationary position. After all is ar- 
ranged to your satisfaction, choose a place for the location of your 
tank where there will be light enough to plainly see its contents 



How to Stock a Marine Aquarium, 63 

and cause little bubbles of oxygen to collect and rise from the 
vegetation. A window facing the north or northeast is the 

. best situation. When you observe that the plants are in a thriv- 
ing condition, and that a new vegetation has apparently sprung 

ispontaneously into existence, carpeting the rockery and sides 
of the glass with green, then and not until then i^itroduce the 
animals.- Be very careful not to overstock the tank. Remem- 
ber, no matter how bright and pleasant a room may be v 'th 
one or two persons in it, the atmosphere of that same. room Jv^ill 
become foul and heavy In the presence of a large crowd, and 
if the ventilation be insufficient, headache, di-zziness, and death 
will ensue, as was the case in the terrible Black Hole of Cal- 
cutta. Unless you want to make a miniature ** black hole " 
of your aquarium, do not overcrowd it. Let the water have 
light, but no sunshine. Put a glass cover over the tank to keep 
out the dust, but let the cover fit loosely enough to allow a free 
circulation of air. The glass top-piece will in a measure pre- 
vent evaporation. If, however, any water is lost from this 
cause, recollect that the salts contained in sea water do not 
evaporate, and consequently the tank may be replenished with 
fresh water equalling the amount evaporated. Beware of the 
hot summer months. I have always found it more difficult to 
keep the water pure during July and August than any other 
part of the year. Do not allow smoking in the room where 
your aquarium is, as the foul atmosphere taints the water. I 
once lost almost all the inhabitants of a thriving marine tank, 
by allowing a party of gentlemen to smoke in the room where 
it was standing. If you have company in the evening, the room, 
as a rule, will become overheated, and you should take the pre- 

' caution to wrap the sides of the tank with wet towels. 

The prepared food mentioned in the preceding chapter wil) 
answer for some salt-water animals. Lean beef, cut in very small- 
bits, may be dried and kept for feeding marine pets when oysters 



64 Spring, 



or clams cannot be had. The clams and oysters should be chopped 
up very fine when used. Anemones and madrepores should be 
fed in quantities regulated by the size of the animals, and not 
more frequently than once a week. The food should be placed 
gently within their reach by means of a pair of forceps or some 
similar instrument. Crabs will soon learn to come out of their 
hiding-places at meal-times, and the fish will not be behind time 
in getting their share of chopped clam. If you have a vivarium 
(Figs. 51 and 52), a handful of fiddler-crabs may be kept upon 
your artificial beach, where they will soon make themselves at 
home and afford a constant source of amusement by their an- 
tics. I kept a lot of little " fiddlers " in a fish globe, and for 
more than a year they lived without salt water, happy and con- 
tented with a bit of damp sand to dig in and an occasional piece 
of chopped oyster to eat. It would be difficult to find odder 
or more easily satisfied pets than the grotesque little fiddlers. 
Each male crab has one large claw which for exercise or amuse- 
ment he keeps in constant motion, only folding it up when 
preparing to enter his hole or scamper sideways across the 
sand. The pedunculated eyes of these little creatures stand up 
in a manner that gives them a very pert appearance. 

Remove all dead animals or particles of food not devoured 
by the inmates, from the aquarium, to prevent the water from 
becoming tainted with poisonous gases emanating from the 
decaying animal matter. Dead vegetation, though not as inju- 
rious as dead animals, should nevertheless be removed, for it is 
unsightly, and makes the water turbid and muddy. No matter 
how foul sea-water may become, you must not waste it, for the 
injury is never permanent, and can soon be remedied by filter- 
ing or exposing it in earthenware vessels to the air and gently 
stirring it occasionally with a stick or piece of glass. 

A filter may be made of a flower-pot, by stopping up the 
hole in the bottom with a perforated cork in which a small 



How to Stock a Marine AquartMm. 65 

quill has been inserted, and then filling the pot half full of pow- 
dered charcoal^ sand, and gravel— the charcoal at the bottom, 
the sand next, and the fine gravel or coarse sand on top. This 
filter when in use should be hung over, but some distance 
above, an earthen-ware dish, and the water allowed to fall drop 
by drop, or in a small stream, from the pot to the dish, or the 
filter may be hung over the aquarium, and each drop of water 
as it falls will carry with it into the tank below particles of the 
purifying, life-giving oxygen gathered up onits journey through 
the air. 




Fiddler Crabs. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
HOW TO COLLECT FOF MARINE AQUARIUM. 

Near high- water mark, among the sea-weed and drift that 
have been washed up by a storm, is a veritable curiosity shop, 
and one well worth* inspecting, but most of the animals to be 
found in this heterogeneous mass of drift, shells, plants, and 
pieces of wreck are either badly injured or dead, and, though 
many valuable specimens may here be obtained for the cabinet 
or museum, it is not a good place to find living, healthy ani^ 
mals for the aquarium. 

If you are going on a collecting tour in search of living ob- 
jects you must go prepared for a good rough-and-tumble time 
among slippery stones, muddy bottoms, or grimy old docks 
and piers. 

You should wear no clothing that you care to preserve. 
Salt water will ruin shoes, so put on any old pair that will pro- 
tect your feet from the shells "or sharp stones ; if the shoes have 
holes that let the water in, console yourself with the thought 
that the water can run out the same way. In fact, you must 
be prepared for a shp-up in the mud, or a good ducking in 
the shallow water, where the bottom is often so slippery that 
it is hard to wade far without involuntarily sitting down once 
or twice. After you have rigged yourself out in "old togs," 
next equip yourself with a basket to hold upright some glass 
preserve-jars or a lot of wide-mouthed bottles ; then, armed with 
a small hammer, an old case-knife or trowel, a dip-net made of 
coarse bagging or fine mosquito-netting, you are ready for any 



How to Collect for Marine Aquarium. 67 

•>v ' "^ — - — ' ' 

game from a lobster to the minute little crustacean found among 
the algae. 

You should time your excursion so as to be on the hunting- 
ground at extreme low tide. As soon as you reach the beach 
wade right into your work ; look under the stones, scoop up 
the sand or mud with your net from the bottom of all the pools 
left by the tide, examine every promising-looking bunch of 
sea-weed, and before the tide comes in you will have material 
enough to stock forty aquariums. When you reach home sort 
out your specimens, discard all weak and sickly animals, and 
put the healthy ones in flat earthenware dishes of salt water, 
where they may be examined at leisure, and the proper ones 
taken out and put into your aquarium. In the mud and sand 
between the tides, or in the shallow water at extreme low tide, 
live many curious creatures. 

If you should discover among the dirt in the bottom of your 
dip-net some queer-looking, tubes, preserve them carefully, for 
they may contain some of those odd and often brilliantly col- 
ored marine worms. The inland boy, who is accustomed to 
see only the unsightly angle-worm, has no idea what really 
beautiful creatures some of the marine worms are. See, for in- 
stance, there is something in the mud that looks like a drop of 
blood. Put it in a plate of salt water and watch how one by 
one it begins to put forth its tentacles until its whole appear- 
ance is changed. This is a worm with a long scientific* name, 
tvhich you may learn by and by if you become interested 
enough in your recreation to make a study of it. 

Do not neglect to collect a few barnacles for your aquarium, 
and you will find yourself amply repaid for the trouble you 
found in detaching them from their native posts or rocks, when 
you see them each put forth an odd hand-shaped member, open* 

* Polycirrus eximius. 



68 



Spring. 



ing and closing the numerous long, slender fingers as if the ani- 
mals inside the shells were grasping for something in the water, 
as, indeed, they are, for it is by this means that the little hermits 
in their acorn-shaped houses obtain their food. 

For collecting in deep water, dredges are used; these are 
described among the summer sports^ page 86. 




The Young Collectors. 



Sumtnei 



^^. 





CHAPTER IX. 
KNOTS, BENDS, AND HITCHES. 

The art of tying knots is an al- 
most necessary adjunct to not a few 
recreations. Especially is this true 
of summer sports, many of which 
are nautical, or in some manner 
connected with the water. 



72 ' Summer. 



Any boy who has been aboard a yacht or a sail-boat, must 
have realized that the safety of the vessel and all aboard may 
be imperilled by ignorance or negligence in the tying of a knot 
or fastening of a rope. 

With some, the knack of tying a good, strong knot in a 
heavy rope, or light cord, seems to be a natural gift ; it is cer- 
tainly a very convenient accomplishment, and one that with 
practice and a little perseverance may be acquired even by 
those who at first make the most awkward and bungling at 
tempts. 

A bulky, cumbersome knot is not only ungainly, but is gen- 
erally insecure. 

As a rule, the strength of a knot is in direct proportion to 
its neat and handsome appearance. 

To my mind, it is as necessary that the archer should know 
how to make the proper loops at the end of his bow-string, 
as it is that a hunter should understand how to load his 
gun. 

Every fisherman should be able to join two lines neatly 
and securely, and should know the best and most expeditious 
method of attaching an extra hook or fly ; and any boy who rigs 
up a hammock or swing with a *' granny," or other insecure 
knot, deserves the ugly tumble and sore bones that are more 
than liable to result from his ignorance. 

A knot, nautically speaking, is a ** bend " that is more per- 
manent than a ** hitch." A knot properly tied never slips, nor 
does it jam so that it cannot be readily untied. A *' hitch" 
might be termed a temporary bend, as it is seldom relied upon 
for permanent service. The '' hitch " is so made that it can be 
cast off, or unfastened, more quickly than a knot. 

It is impossible for the brightest boy to learn to make 
•* knots, bends, and hitches " by simply reading over a descrip- 
tion of the methods ; for, although he may understand them a.' 



Knots^ Bends^ and Hitches. 73 

the time, five minutes after reading the article the process 
will have escaped his memory ; but if he take a piece of 
cord or rope, and sit down with the diagrams in front of him, 
he will find little difficulty in managing the most complicated 
knots ; and he will not only acquire an accomplishment from 
which he can derive infinite amusement for himself and a means 
of entertainment for others, but the knowledge gained may, in 
case of accident by fire or flood, be the means of saving both 
life and property. 

The accompanying diagrams show a number of useful and 
important bends, splices, etc. To simpHfy matters, let us com- 
mence with Fig. 57, and go through the diagrams in the order 
in which they come : 

The ** English," or ** common single fisherman's knot" (Fig. 
57, I.), is neat and strong enough for any ordinary strain. The 
diagram shows the knots before being tightened and drawn 
together. 

When exceptional strength is required it can be obtained 
by joining the lines in the ordinary single fisherman's knot 
(Fig. 57, I.), and pulling each of the half knots as tight as possi- 
ble, then drawing them within an eighth of an inch of each 
other and wrapping between with fine gut that has been pre- 
viously softened in water, or with light-colored silk. 

An additional line, or a sinker may be attached by tying a 
knot in the end of the extra line, and inserting it between the 
parts of the single fisherman's knot before they are drawn to- 
gether and tightened. 

The '* fisherman's double half knot," Fig. 57 (II. and III.). 
After the gut has been passed around the main line and through 
itself, it is passed around the line once more and through the 
same loop again, and drawn close. 

Fig. 57 (IV., V. and IX.). Here are three methods of join- 
ing the ends of two lines together ; the diagrams explain thenj 



74 ' Summer, 



much better than words can. Take a piece of string, try each 
one, and test their relative strength. 

Fig- 57 (VI.). It often happens, while fishing, that a hook is 
caught in a snag, or by some other means lost. The diagram 
shows the most expeditious manner of attaching another hook 
by what is known as the ** sinker hitch," described further on 
(Fig. 57, D, D, D, and Fig. 58, XIV., XV., and XVI.). 

Fig- 57> VII. is another and more secure method of attach- 
ing a hook by knitting the line on with a succession of hitches. 

How To Make a Horse-Hair 'Watch-Guard. 

The same hitches are used in the manufacture of horse-hair 
watch-guards, much in vogue with the boys in some sections 
of the country. As regularly as "kite-time," "top-time," or 
** ball-time," comes " horse-hair watch-guard time." 

About once a year the rage for making watch-guards used 
to seize the boys of our school, and by some means or other 
almost every boy would have a supply of horse-hair on hand. 
With the first tap of the bell for recess, some fifty hands would 
dive into the mysterious depths of about fifty pockets, and be- 
fore the bell had stopped ringing about fifty watch-guards, in a 
more or less incomplete state, would be produced. 

Whenever a teamster's unlucky stars caused him to stop near 
the school-house, a chorus of voices greeted him with ** Mister, 
please let us have some hair from your horses' tails." 

The request was at first seldom refused, possibly because its 
nature was not at the time properly understood; but lucky was 
the boy considered who succeeded in pulling a supply of hair 
from the horses' tails without being interrupted by the heels of 
the animals or by the teamster, who, when he saw the swarm of 
boys tugging at his horses' tails, generally repented his first 
good-natured assent, and with a gruff "Get out, you young ras- 
cals ! " sent the lads scampering to the school-yard fence. 



Knots^ Bends^ and Hitches, 75 

Select a lot of long hair of the cplor desired ; make it into a 
switch about the eighth of an inch thick by tying one end in a 
simple knot. Pick out a good, long hair and tie it around the 
switch close to the knotted end ; then take the free end of the 
single hair in your right hand and pass it under the switch on one 
side, thus forming a loop through which the end of the hair must 
pass after it is brought up and over from the other side of the 
switch. Draw the knot tight by pulling the free end of the hair 
as shown by Fig. 57, VII. Every time this operation is repeated 
a wrap and a knot is produced. The knots follow each other 
in a spiral around the switch, giving it a very pretty, ornamented 
appearance. When one hair is used up select another, and 
commence knitting with it as you did with the first, being care- 
ful to cover and conceal the short end of the first hair, and to 
make the knots on the second commence where the former 
stop. A guard made of white horse-hair looks as if it might be 
composed of spun glass, and produces a very odd and pretty 
effect. A black one is very genteel in appearance. 

Miscellaneous. 

I'lg- 57> VIII. shows a simple and expeditious manner of 
attaching a trolling hook to a fish-line. 

Fig. 57, F is a hitch used on shipboard, or wherever lines 
and cables are used. It is called the Blackwall hitch. 

Fig. 57, E is a fire-escape made of a double bowHne knot, 
useful as a sling for hoisting persons up or letting them down 
from any high place ; the window of a burning building, for in- 
stance. Fig. 58, XVIII., XIX. and XX. show how this knot is 
made. It is described on page "]*] . 

Fig. 57, A is a ** bale hitch," made of a loop of rope. To 
make it, take a piece of rope that has its two ends joined ; lay 
the rope down and place the bale on it ; bring the loop oppo- 
site you up, on that side of the bale, and the loop in front up, 



76 ' Summer, 



on the side of the bale next to you ; thrust the latter loop 
under and through the first and attach the hoisting rope. The 
heavier the object to be lifted, the tighter the hitch becomes. 
An excellent substitute for a shawl-strap can be made of a cord 
by using the bale hitch, the loop at the top being a first-rate 
handle. 

Fig. 57, B is called a cask shng, and C (Fig. 57) is called a 
butt shng. The manner of making these last two and their uses 
may be seen by referring to the illustration. It will be noticed 
that a line is attached to the bale hitch in a peculiar manner (a. 
Fig. 57)- This is called the *' anchor bend." If while aboard 
a sail-boat you have occasion to throw a bucket over for water, 
you will find the anchor bend a very convenient and safe way 
to attach a line to the bucket handle. 

Fig. 58, I. and II. are loops showing the elements of the sim- 
plest knots. 

Fig. 58, III. is a simple knot commenced. 

Fig. 58, IV. shows the simple knot tightened. 

Fig. 58, V. and VI. show how the Flemish knot looks when 
commenced and finished. 

Fig. 58, VII. and VIII. show a '' rope knot " commenced, 
and finished. 

Fig. 58, IX. is a double knot commenced. 

Fig. 58, X. is the same completed. 

Fig. 58, XI. shows a back view of the double knot. 

Fig. 58, XII. is the first loop of a "bowline knot." One 
end of the line is supposed to be made fast to some object. 
After the turn or loop (Fig. 58, XII.) is made, hold it in posi. 
tion with your left hand and pass the end of the line up through 
the loop or turn you have just made, behind and over the line 
above, then down through the loop again, as shown In the dia- 
gram (Fig. 58, XIII.) ; pull it tight and the knot is complete. 
The ** sinker hitch" is a very handy one to know* and the 



Knoh^ Bends^ and Hitches, 77 



variety of nses it may be put to will be at once suggested 
by the diagram's. 

Lines that have both ends ntade fast may have weights 
attached to them by means of the sinker hitch (Fig. 57, D, D, 

D). 

To accomplish this, first gather up some slack and make 
it in the form of the loop (Fig. 58, XIV.) ; bend the loop back 
on itself (Fig. 58, XV.) and slip the weight through the double 
loop" thus formed (Fig. 58, XVI.) ; draw tight by pulHng the 
two top lines, and the sinker hitch is finished (Fig. 58, XVII.). 

The *' fire-escape sling" previously mentioned, and illus- 
trated by Fig. 57, E, is made with a double line. 

Proceed at first as you would *o make a simple bewline 
knot (Fig. 58, XVIIL). 

After you have run the end loop up through the tufn (Fig. 
58, XIX.), bend it downward and over the bottom loop and 
turn, then up again until it is in the position shown in Fig. 5S, 
XX. ; pull it downward until the knot is tiglrtened, as in Fig. 
57, E, and it makes a safe sling in which to lower a person 
from any height. The longer loop serves for a seat, and the 
shorter one, coming under the arms, makes a rest for the 
back. 

Fig. 58, XXI. is called a " boat knot," and is made with the 
aid of a stick. It is an excellent knot for holding weights 
which may want instant detachment. To detach it, lift the 
weight slightly and push out the stick, and instantly the knot 
is untied. 

Fig. 58, XXII. Commencement of a *' six-fold knot." 

Fig. 58, XXIII. Six-fold knot completed by drawing th^ 
two ends with equal force. A knot drawn in this manner is said 
to be ** nipped." 

Fig. 58, XXIV. A simple hitch or *' double " used in mak- 
ing loop knots. 



78 . Summer, 



Fig. 58, XXV. '^ Loop knot." 

Fig. 58, XXVI. shows how the loop knot is commenced. 

Fig. 58, XXVII. is the " Dutch double knot," sometimes 
called the ** Flemish loop." 

Fig. 58, XXVIII. shows a common " running knot." 

Fig. 58, XXIX. A running knot with a check knot to hold. 

Fig. 58, XXX. A running knot checked. 

Fig. 58, XXXI. The right hand part of the rope shows how 
to make the double loop for the " twist knot." The left hand 
part of the same rope shows a finished twist knot. It is made 
by taking a half turn on both the right hand and left hand lines 
of the double loop, and passing the end through the '* bight" 
(loop) so made. 

Whip-Lashes. 

Fig. 58, XXXII. is called the '' chain knot," which is often 
used in braiding leather whip-lashes. To make a ** chain knot," 
fasten one end of the thong or line ; make a simple loop and 
pass it over the left hand ; retain hold of the free end with the 
right hand ; with the left hand seize the line above the right 
hand and draw a loop through the loop already formed ; finish 
the knot by drawing it tight with the left hand. Repeat the 
operation until the braid is of the required length, then secure 
it by passing the free end through the last loop. 

Fig. 58, XXXIII. shows a double chain knot. 

Fig. 58, XXXIV. is a double chain knot pulled out. It 
shows how the free end is thrust through the last loop. 

Fig. 58, XXXV. Knotted loop for end of rope, used to pre- 
vent the end of the rope from slipping, and for various othet 
purposes. 

Splices, Timber-Hitches, etc. 

Although splices may not be as useful to boys as knots and 
hitches, for the benefit of those among my readers who are 



Knots^ Bends^ and Hitches. . 79 

interested in the subject, I have introduced a few bands and 
splices on the cables partly surrounding Fig. 58. 

Fig. 58, <3: shows the knot and upper side of a '* simple band." 

Fig. 58, b shows under side of the same. 

Fig. 58, c and d show a tie with cross ends. To hold the 
ends of the cords, a turn is taken under the strands. 

Fig. 58, e andy. Bend with cross strands, one end looped 
over the other. 

Fig- 58, ^ shows the upper side of the "necklace tie." 

Fig. 58, h shows the underside of the same. The advantage 
01 this tie is that the greater the strain on the cords, the tighter 
it draws the knot. 

Fig. 58, i andy* are slight modifications of^ and h. 

Fig. 58, / shows the first position of the end of the ropes 
for making the splice k. Untwist the strands and put the 
ends of two ropes together as close as possible, and place 
the strands of the one between the ftrands of the other alter- 
nately, so as to interlace, as in k. This splice should only be 
used when there is not time to make the " long splice," as the 
short one is not very strong. 

From / to M is a long splice, made by underlaying the 
strands of each of the ropes joined about half the length of the 
splice, and putting eaah strand of the one between two of the 
other ; q shows the strands arranged for the long splice. 

Fig. 58, ;/ is a simple mode of making a hitch on a rope. 

Fig. 58, ^ is a '* shroud knot." 

Fig. 58, r shows a very convenient way to make a handle 
on a rope, and is used upon large ropes when it is necessary fof 
several persons to take hold to pull. 

Fig. 59, A. Combination of half hitch and timber hitch. 

Fig. 59, B. Ordinary half hitch. 

Fig. 59, C. Ordinary timber hitch. 

Fig- S9» ^' Another timber hitch, called the ** clove hitch.' 



8o . SMfnmer. 



Fig. 59, E. " Hammock hitch," used for binding bales of 
goods or cloth. 

Fig. 59, F. " Lark-head knot," used by sailors and boat- 
men for mooring their crafts. 

Fig. 59, P shows a lark-head fastening to a running knot. 

Fig. 59, G is a double-looped lark-head. 

Fig. 59, H shows a double-looped lark-head knot fastened 
to the ring of a boat. 

Fig- 59> I is a ''treble lark-head." To make it you must 
first tie a single lark-head, then divide the two heads and use 
each singly, as shown in the diagram. 

Fig. 59, J shows a simple boat knot with one turn. 

Fig. 59, K. ".Crossed running knot." It is a strong and 
handy tie, not as difficult to make as appears to be. 

Fig. 59, L is the bowline knot, described by the diagrams 
XII. and XIII. (Fig. 58). The free end of the knot is made 
fast by binding it to th^ ''bight" or the loop. It makes^ 
a secure sling for a man to sit in at his work among the 
rigging. 

Fig. 59, M, N, and O. ** Slip clinches," or '' sailors' knots." 

Fig. 59, Q shows a rope fastened by the chain hitch. The 
knot at the left-hand end explains a simple way to prevent a 
rope from unraveUing. , 

Fig. 59, R. A timber hitch ; when tightened the line binds 
around the timber so that it will not slip. 

Fig. 59, S. Commencement of simple lashing knot. 

Fig. 59, T. Simple lashing knot finished. 

Fig. 59, U. " Infallible loop ; " not properly a timber hitch, 
but useful in a variety of ways, and well adapted for use in 
archery. 

Fig. 59, V. Same as R, reversed. It looks like it mighl 
give way under a heavy strain, but it will not. 

Fig, 59, W. Running knot with two ends. 



^ 



Knots^ Bends^ and Hitches. 8i 

Fig. 59, X. Running knot with a check knot that can only 
be opened with a marline-spike. 

Fig- 59> Y- A two-ended running knot with a check to the 
running loops. This knot can be untied by drawing both ends 
of the cord. 

Fig. 59, Z. Running knot with two ends, fixed by a double 
Flemish knot. When you wish to encircle a timber with this 
tie, pass the ends, on which the check knot is to be, through 
the cords before they are drawn tight. This will require con- 
siderable practice. 

Fig. 59, a shows an ordinary twist knot. 

Fig. 59, a' shows the form of loop for builder's knot. 

Fig. 59, b. Double twist knot. 

Fig- 59> <^- Builder's knot finished. 

Fig. 59, d represents a double builder's knot. 

Fig. 59, e. ''Weaver's knot," same as described under the 
head of Becket hitch (Fig. 57, V). 

Fig. 59, /. Weaver's knot drawn tight. 

Fig. 59, g shows how to commence a reef knot. This is 
useful for small ropes ; with ropes unequal in size the knot is 
likely to draw out of shape, as nt. 

Fig. 59, h shows a reef knot completed. 

Of all knots, avoid the ** granny;" it is next to useless 
under a strain, and marks the tier as a *' landlubber." 

Fig. 59, i shows a granny knot ; n shows a granny under 
strain. 

Fig. 59, j shows the commencement of a common ** rough 
knot." 

Fig. 59, k. The front view of finished knot. 

Fig. 59, /. The back view of finished knot. Although this 
knot will not untie nor slip, the rope is likely to part at one side 
if the strain is great. Awkward as it looks, this tie is very useful 
at times on account of the rapidity with which it can be made, 
6 



82 ' SummeK 



Fig- 59» o ^^^ P' Knot commenced and finished, used foi 
the same purposes as the Flemish knot. 

Fig- 59» ^ ^i^<i ^' ' -^^ ordinary knot with the ends used 
separately. 

Fig- 59» -y- Sheep-shank, or dog-shank as it is sometimes 
called, is very useful in shortening a line. Suppose, for in- 
stance, a swing is much longer than necessary, and you wish 
to shorten it without climbing aloft to do so ; it can be done 
with a sheep-shank. 

Fig. 59, r shows the first position- of the two loops. Take 
two half hitches, and you have a bend of the form shown by s. 
Pull tightly from above and below the shank, and you will find 
that the rope is shortened securely enough for ordinary strain. 

Fig. 59, t. Shortening by loop and turns made where the 
end of the rope is free. 

Fig. 59, u, A shortened knot that can be used when either 
end is free. 

Fig. 59, Vy Wy and x. Shortening knots. 

Fig. 59,:^ and 2. A **true lover's knot," and the last one 
that you need to practise on, for one of these knots Is as much 
as most persons can attend to, and ought to last a lifetime. 




CHAPTER X. 

THE WATER-TELESCOPE. 

Nearly three-fourths of the whole world is coverea uy 
water. Old Isaak Walton in his quaint book says that this 
vast expanse of territory is ** Nature's storehouse, in which she 
locks up all her wonders.'* The previous chapters on fresh 
water and marine aquariums have already shown how a por- 
tion of the ** wonders" may be kept in your own house, in 
what might be termed little glass side-shows to the great ma- 
rine menagerie. This chapter will tell you how to make an in- 
strument through which you can peep under the watery tent of 
the big show itself, and see the curiosities swimming about in 
their native haunts. 

The water-telescope is not made of aqueous fluid, as its 
name might imply, but is a contrivance made of wood or 
metal, through which, when one end is partly submerged, ob- 
jects beneath the water can be plainly seen that would other- 
wise be invisible. 

It is astonishing how many fathoms of water become almost 
as transparent as air when viewed through one of these simple 
and amusing contrivances. In Norway, the fishermen make 
practical use of the water telescope when searching for herring 
shoals or cod, often by its means discovering new and un- 
looked-for fish. 

How to Make a Wooden Water-Telescope. 

All that is necessary is a long wooden box, a piece of glass 
for one end, and some paint and putty for making the seams 



84 



Summer, 



1 



water-tight. Fix the glass in one end of the box, and leave 
the other end open to admit the eyes of the observer, as shown 
in the illustration (Fig. 60). 




Fig. 60. — Wooden Water-Telescopes. 

A Tin Water-Telescope, 

IS a funnel-shaped tin horn, about three or four feet long, eight 
to ten inches in diameter at the bottom, and broad enough at 
the top to admit both eyes of the observer (Fig. 61). Sinkers 
should be soldered on near the bottom, as shown in the illustra- 
tion (Fig. 61). This in a measure counteracts the buoyancy of 




Fig. 61. — A Tin Water-Telescope. 

the air contained in the water-tight funnel, and helps to sub- 
merge the big end. 

The inside of the funnel should be painted black, to prevent 
the light from being reflected upon the bright surface of the tin. 

If any difficulty is found in procuring a circular piece of glass, 
the bottom may be made square and square glass used, and 
fitted into a leaden frame made for the purpose. 



The Water- Telescope. 85 

Any tinner can, at a moderate cost, make an instrument 
like the one just described. 

A water-telescope will add greatly to the entertainment of 
a boating party or picnic, furnishing a new and novel feature 
that will become popular wherever it is introduced. 

Mr. Fred. Holder tells me that while collecting marine ani-. 
mals with his father, Dr. Holder, the naturalist, they had a boat 
built with a glass in the hull, arranged and worked upon the 
same principle as a water-telescope. It was of great service 
where the water was not too deep. While one person rowed 
the other watched the bottom, which Mr. Holder describes as 
having the appearance of a beautiful panorama passing beneath 
him. Fish of all colors and forms filled the intervening space, 
and sometimes a ** devil fish" would cross the scene, flapping 
its great wing like fins as it flew rather than swam through 
the clear water. 




CHAPTER XI 



DREDGE, TANGLE. AND TRAWL FISHING. 



A Ne'w Sport. 

This new pastime not only insures the fisherman something 
to show for his day's work, but, by furnishing an incentive, it 
lends an additional charm to rowing or sailing, and combines 
the pleasures of fishing and boating, perhaps, in a greater de- 
'^ree than any other sport upon the list of out-door exercises, 
.here is no good reason why the " dredge " and ** tangle'* 
should be monopolized by a few learned scientists, nor why the 
sport should not be indulged in by all boys, as well as men, who 
love the open air, the salt sea breeze, Nature and her wonders. 
To put this new pastime within the reach of the boys, this 
chapter illustrates and describes the ** regular " dredge made 



Dredge^ Tangle^ and Trawl Fishing. 87 

upon the most improved pattern, and it also shows how service- 
able dredges and tangles may be made out of simple materials 
to be found about any house. 

The dredge is an instrument made to drag along the bot- 
tom of the water and scoop up the objects, such as corals, 
sponges, etc., that are found there. 

The common oyster dredge is a familiar object at all sea-side 
places, but it has two or three defects which make it objection- 
able to the amateur dredger. In the first place, it requires a 
skilled hand to keep it right side up when in use. Nothing is 
more discouraging to a beginner than to discover, after a long 
pull, that on account of the dredge being towed upside down 
the scraper has been unable to perform its duty. The meshes 
of an oyster dredge are made very large purposely, that all 
small objects may slip through. Among these small objects 
are some of the curiosities most prized by the collector. 

To remedy the first defect, the collector's dredge is made 
with a scraper upon both sides (Fig. 65). The second defect is 
overcome by using a net with very fine meshes. 

The net, if unprotected, would soon be cut and torn into 
shreds by the sharp-edged shells or rough bottom. To prevent 
this, it is enclosed in a leather or canvas bag open at both ends 
(Fig. 65). The dotted line shows the net inside. 

The handles and scrapers are composed of iron. 

If the machine become fast between the rocks of the bottom, 
the string that binds the joint marked in the diagram (Fig. 65) 
will part, thus allowing the machine to turn edgewise and free 
itself. 

Many curious objects were frequently brought up clinging to 
the cable or the frayed edges of the canvas cover of the dredges 
first used, and it was noticed that the dredge itself seldom con 
tained any of these objects. This fact gave birth to 



88 



Summer, 




The Tangle, 

a name given to tassels of 
hemp that are often at- 
tached to the bottom of 
the dredge itself or used 
separately (Figs. 66 and 
61), 

The Trawl. 

If the bottom to be ex- 
plored be smooth a trawl 
can be used (Fig. 68). 
This consists of a net lar- 
ger than the one connect- 
ed with the dredge. The 
front of the net is attached 
to a rod at the top and 
hangs slack at the bottom, 
being weighted by small 
sinkers. The rod is fas- 
tened to runners which 
allow the trawl to slide 
smoothly over the bot 
tom. Weights are some- 
times fastened to the ends 
of the runners. It is a 
good idea to have pockets 
in the net, to prevent the 
fish from escaping. The 
end of the net should be 
gathered and tied with a 
string, so that by untying 



Dredge^ Tangle^ and Trawl Fishing, 89 

the string the contents can be dumped out in less time than it 
takes to tell of it. 

How to Make a Bake-Pan Dredge. 

There is a sort of flat sheet-iron pan used in the kitchen for 
holding bread or biscuit while baking. It is seldom that the 
cook cannot show you one of these pans (Fig. 62) that has 
served its time and been discarded. Such a one will make a 
first-rate frame for a dredge. The only difficulty will be found 
in cutting the bottom out neatly. If there be a tin shop in the 
neighborhood it is best to take the pan there and have the tinner 
cut it for you ; or you may do it yourself with a can opener 
or some other convenient instrument. Cut as shown by the 
dotted lines in Fig. 62, which represents the pan bottom up- 
wards. This will leave a margin of about an inch and a half 
still adhering to the pan ; with a strong nail and a hammer 
punch holes all around the marginal piece of the bottom. Make 
two larger holes in each end to admit the ropes forming the 
handles. 

Bend the bottom pieces out as illustrated by Fig. 63, and it 
will produce a compact and handy frame for a small dredge. 

An old coffee sack can be readily adapted so as to serve as a 
net, but if the canvas cover be used as in Fig. 65, mosquito net- 
ting of double thickness will answer for the inner pouch. 

Fig. 64 shows a '* bake-pan dredge" with ropes attached 
ready for use. Although the framework of a ** regular " dredge 
can be made by any blacksmith at trifling cost, it is more fun 
to make a dredge for one's self. When once the principles 
upon which a machine is made are thoroughly understood, 
it requires but little ingenuity to produce home-made substi- 
tutes that will perhaps answer as well, if not better, than the 
originals. 



90 



Summer. 







Figs. 6s, ^% and 67. — Regular-made Dredge, Broomstick and 
Old Chain Tangle. 



A Tin-Pail 
Dredge. 

Take any 
old tin bucket, 
knock the bot- 
tom out, and 
attach a piece 
of coffee sack 
for a net. Tie 
bunches of 
hemp to the 
rim, fi r s t 
punching 
holes for the 
purpose, and 
you will have 
a make - shift 
dredge like 
the one in the 
tail-piece that 
only requires 
a few minutes 
to manufac- 
ture. Even 
with such a 
crude appara- 
tus as this, 
many things 
may be cap- 
tured for the 
cab i net or 
aquarium, the 



Dredge^ Tangle^ and Trawl Fishing, 91 

hempen tangles serving not only to entangle star-fish, sea- 
urchins, and the like, but in a measure preventing other crea 
tures that have been scooped up by the pail from making theii 
escape. 

How to Make a Broomstick Tangle. 

Saw off from an old broom handle a piece of stick about two 
and one-half feet long ; hunt up three or four pieces of chain 
about the size used for large dog-chains ; with small iron 
staples fasten these chains at intervals; ilong the broomstick. 
Tie bunches of hemp securely along the chains. If you have 
no hemp, unravel pieces of old rope ends and tie them to the 
chains as in the illustration (Fig. 66). The broomstick, being 
light, will possibly float in spite of the chains. This can only 
be prevented by attaching weights to the stick. 

If a couple of iron wheels can be procured and put upon the 
ends of the broomstick they will not only counteract the buoy- 
ancy of the stick, but vv^ill also, in a measure, prevent the tangle 
from fouling stones or other objects on the bottom. 

In the place of the iron wheels, simple weights of lead or 
other material may be used, and instead of the chains, weighted 
strings can be tied to the stick and the hempen knots fastened to 
them. Still another tangle can be made of a piece of old chain. 

The Old Chain Tangle, 
as may be seen by the illustration (Fig. ^'j'), is simply a piece of 
iron chain decorated with hempen tassels and occasional cross- 
sticks. A rope is attached to one end, and by its means the 
tangle is hauled over the bottom to gather up its load of curi- 
osities. 

Hints and Suggestions to Amateurs. 
If dredging from a sail-boat, divide the crew into two parties, 
one to manage and sail the boat, the other to attend to the 



92 'Summer, 



casting and hauling of the dredge. It is as necessary that the 
boat be carefully managed as it is that at least one person's un- 
divided attention be given to handling the dredge. The dredg- 
ing rope should be about twice as long as the water is deep. 
A wooden reel or windlass attached to one side of the boat 
near, the stern will be of very great assistance, especially when 
the net comes up filled with mud or heavy stones, as it fre- 
quently does ; in which case, if there be but one boy to attend to 
it he will find it no light task to pull in the line hand over hand. 

A piece of old oilcloth or tarpaulin will answer to dump the 
contents of the dredge upon, although a large wooden tray, or 
*' picking-over board," as it is called, is much better. A small 
board of the kind intended for a row-boat is shown in the illus- 
tration at the head of this chapter. 

Common glass preserve jars, or wide-mouthed bottles, make 
excellent receptacles for living specimens. A convenient rack 
for carrying these easily and safely may be made from any 
wooden box, by nailing laths or slats across the top from end 
to end and side to side, making the squares thus formed just 
large enough to hold the jars or bottles in an upright position. 

The sail-boat is best for long excursions, but for a short trip 
a row-boat is preferable, it being more readily handled and in- 
dependent of the wind. 

Although a dredge without tangles will bring up many 
curious and interesting objects, the specimens are apt to be 
confined to the moUusca or shell-fish, mixed^ of course, with all 
manner of rubbish. 

If properly managed, the pouch, when it reaches the surface, 
will be about half full. After it has been emptied upon the 
** picking-over" board, the mud and sand may be washed away 
by pouring water over the mass. Although not absolutely neces- 
sary, a large sieve is a desirable addition to the dredger's outfit, 
and furnishes valuable assistance when the mud or sand is to be 



Dredge^ Tangle^ and Trawl Fishing. 93 

searched for minute objects. Some dredgers use a "nest of 
sieves," so arranged that the strainers, four in number, fit freely 
within one another. The top 
sieve is of course smaller than the 
others, but the meshes are larger 
The second sieve is a little larger, 
with finer meshes. The third is 
still larger, with a much finer 
mesh, and the fourth, the largest 
sieve of the lot, has a mesh so 
close as only to allow the finest 
sand or mud to pass through. 
The contents of a dredge when 

filtered through a **nest of l^^^^^^^^^W^ %^ 
sieves " is divided up into a grad- 
uated series, the largest objects 
at the top and the smallest at the 
bottom. . Mr. Emerton, in his 
** Life on the Seashore," de- 
scribes a sieve for hanging over 
the side of a boat '* in the shape 
of a half cylinder," the bottom 
being made of strong wire ; but, 
as before remarked, sieves are 
not absolutely necessary, and 
may be dispensed with when Fig. 68.-The Trawl. 

the object is only a day's fun with the curiosities of the sea. 

The Use of the Tangle. 

Partially buried in the mud of the bottom are to be found 

many pretty corals, queer and curious spbnges, and those funny 

animals called sea-cucumbers. The dredge may skip these, 

but the hempen tangles, when they sweep the bottom, catch all 




94 



Summer, 



such rough or irregular objects and bring them to the surface, 
along with a miscellaneous assortment of star-fish, sea-urchins, 
crabs, shrimps, and hundreds of other creatures. 

Wyville Thomson, in his interesting account of the dredging 
cruise of the Porcupine and Lightning, mentions one haul when 
the tangles contained not fewer than 20,000 sea-urchins, which 
**were warped through and through the hempen fibres and 
actually filled the tangles; and," adds Mr. Thomson, ''they 
hung for days round the bulwarks like nets of pickhng onions 
in a green-grocer's shop." At times the tangle, when it coiuv^o 
to the surface, is completely covered with curious little shrimp- 
like creatures called Caprellas. Indeed, so many surprises await 
the dredger and tend to keep up the excitement, that this new 
sport cannot fail to interest and delight all who participate in 
it ; and when the young dredgers return home they need not 
do so empty-handed, but may, if they choose, bring curiosities 
from the bottom of the sea that will not only astonish their 
parents, but most likely puzzle their teachers and professors. 

Under the head of TAXIDERMY, among the autumn sports, 
will be found some hints which will aid the reader in prese;fV' 
ing marine specimens for the cabinet or for future study. 




Tin- Pail Dredge. 



CHAPTER XII. 

HOME-MADE BOATS. 

Birth of the "Man-Friday" Catamaran. —The Crusoe 

Raft. 

Not so very many years ago I remember visiting, in com- 
pany with my cousin Tom, a small lake at the head waters of 
the Miami. High and precipitous cliffs surround the little body 
of water. So steep were the great weather-beaten rocks that it 
was only where the stream came tumbling down past an old 
mill that an accessible path then existed. Down that path 
Tom and I scrambled, for we knew that large bass lurked in 
the deep, black holes among the rocks. 

We had no jointed split bamboo rods nor fancy tackle, but 
the fish there in those days were not particular and seldom 
hesitated to bite at an angle-worm or grasshopper, though the 
hook upon which the bait squirmed was suspended by a coarse 
line from a freshly cut hickory sapling. 

Even now I feel the thrill of excitement and expectancy as, 
in imagination, my pole is bent nearly double by the frantic 
struggles of those *'gamy" black bass. After spending the 
morning fishing we built a fire upon a short stretch of sandy 
beach, and cleaning our fish and washing them in the spring 
close at hand, we put them among the embers to cook. 

While the fire was getting our dinner ready for us we threw 
off our clothes and plunged into the cool w^aters of the lake. 
Inexpert swimmers as we were at that time, the opposite shore, 
though apparently only a stone's-throw distant, was too far off 



96 Summer, 



for us to reach by swimming. Many a longing and curious 
glance we cast toward it, however, and strong was the tempta- 
tion that beset us to try the unknown depths intervening. A 
pair of brown ears appeared above the ferns near the water's 
edge, and a fox peeped at us ; squirrels ran about the fallen 
trunks of trees or scampered up the rocks as saucily as though 
they understood that we could not swim well enough to reach 
their side of the lake ; and high up the face of the cliff was a 
dark spot which we almost knew to be the entrance to some 
mysterious cavern. 

How we longed for a boat ! But not even a raft nor a dug- 
out could be seen anywhere upon the glassy surface of the 
water or along its reedy border. We nevertheless determined 
to explore the lake next day, even if we should have to paddle 
astride of a log. 

The first rays of the morning sun had not reached the dark 
waters before my companion and I were hard at work, with axe 
and hatchet, chopping in twain a long log we had discovered near 
the mill. We had at first intended to build a raft ; but grad- 
ually we evolved a sort of catamaran. The two pieces of log 
we sharpened at the ends for the bow ; then we rolled the logs 
down upon the beach, and, while I went into the thicket to 
chop down some saplings, my companion borrowed an auger 
from the miller. We next placed the logs about three feet 
apart, and marking the points where we intended to put the 
cross-pieces, we cut notches there ; then we placed the saplings 
across, fitting them into these notches. To hold them securely 
we bored holes down through the sapling cross-pieces into the 
logs ; with the hatchet we hammered wooden pegs into these 
holes. For the seat we used the half of a section of log, the flat 
side fitting into places cut for that purpose. All that remained 
to be done now was to make a seat in the stern and a pair of 
lOwlocks. At a proper distance from the oarsman's seat we 



Home-Maae Boats. 



97 



bored two holes for a couple of forked sticks, which answered 
admirably for rowlocks ; across the stern we fastened another 
piece of log, similar to that used for the oarsman's seat. With 
the help of a man from the mill our craft was launched ; and 




The Man-Friday. 

with a pair of oars made of old pine boards we rowed off, leav- 
ing the miller waving his hat. 

Our catamaran was not so light as a row-boat, t)ut it floated, 
and we could propel it with the oars, and, best of all, it was our 
own invention and made with our own hands. We called it a 
**■ Man-Friday," and by its means we explored every nook in 
the length and breadth of the lake ; and ever afterward when 
we wanted a boat we knew a simple and inexpensive way to 
make one — and a safe one, too. 



The Crusoe Raft, 

is another rustic craft, but it is of more ambitious dimensions 
fehan the ** Man-Friday." Instead of being able to float only 
one or two passengers, the " Crusoe," if properly built, ought 
to accommodate a considerable party of raftsmen. Of course 
the purpose for which the raft is to be used, and the number of 
7 



98 



Summer, 



the crew that is expected to man it, must be taken into consid- 
eration when deciding upon the dimensions of the proposed 
craft. 

All the tools that are necessary for the construction of a 

good stout raft are an axe, an 
auger, and a hatchet, with some 
strong boys to wield them. 

The building material can 
be gathered upon any wooded 
bank of lake or stream. 

For a moderate sized raft 
collect six or seven logs, the 
longest not being over sixteen 
feet in length, nor more than a 
foot in diameter ; the logs must 
be tolerably straight. Pick out 
the longest and biggest for the 
centre ; sharpen one end ; roll 
the log into the water and there 
secure it. 

Select two logs as nearly 
alike as possible, to lie one at 
each side of the centre log. 
Measure the centre log, and 
make the point of each side log, 
not at its own centre, but at 
that side of it which will lie 
against the middle log, so that 
this side-point shall terminate 
(See Fig. 69.) 








Fig. 69.— Plan of Crusoe Raft. 

where the pointing of the middle log begins. 

After all the logs needed have been trimmed and sharpened 
in the manner just described, roll them into the water and ar- 
range them in order (Fig. 69). Fasten them together with 



Home-Made Boats. 



99 



** cross-strips," boring holes through the strips to correspond 
with holes bored into the logs lying beneath, and through these 
holes drive wooden pegs. The water will cause the pegs to 
swell, and they will hold much more firmly than iron nails. 

The skeleton of the cabin can be made of saplings ; such as 
are used for hoop-poles are the best. 

These are each bent into an arch, and the ends are thrust 
into holes bored for that purpose. Over this hooping a piece 
of canvas is stretched, after the manner of old-fashioned coun- 
try wagons (Figs. 70 and 71). 




Fig. 70. — Skeleton of Crusoe Raft. 

Erect a ** jack-staff," to be used as a flag-pole or a mast to 
rig a square sail on. 

A stout stick should be erected at the stern, and a similar 
one upon each side of the raft near the bow ; these sticks, when 
their ends are made smaller, as shown in the illustration (Fig, 
70). serve as rowlocks. 



lOO 



Summer. 



For oars use " sweeps" — long poles, each with a piece of 
board for a blade fastened at one end (Fig. 72). 

Holes must be bored through the poles of the sweeps about 




Fig. 71.— Crusoe with Cabin Covered. 

three feet from the handle, to slip over the pegs used as row- 
locks, as described above. These pegs should be high enough 
to allow the oarsman to stand while using the sweeps. 
A flat stone placed at the bow will serve as a fireplace. 




Fig. 72.— Sweeps. 

If the cracks between the logs under the cabin are filled up 
io prevent the water splashing through, and the cabi^ is floored 



Hoffie-Made Boats, loit 



with cross-sticks, a most comfortable bed at night can be made 
of hay by heaping it under the canvas cover in sufficient quan- 
tities. 

The ** Crusoe " raft has this great advantage over all boats; 
you may take a long trip down the river, allowing the current 
to bear you along, using the sweeps only to assist the man at 
the helm (rear sweep) ; then, after your excursion is finished, 
you can abandon the raft and return by steamboat or cars. 

The Scow. 

There can be but few boys who are not familiar with that 
large and useful tribe of flat-bottomed, perpendicular-sided 
boats called "scows." These crafts are used as coal barges, 
hghters, flat-boats, sail-boats, and row-boats ; but it is only to 
the construction of the last named class that this chapter will 
be devoted. 

To build a scow-shaped row-boat is not a difficult feat, even 
for a boy ; and when it is finished he will find it to be a very 
convenient boat, roomy, and not hard to row. 

The material necessary consists of eight or ten three-quarter- 
inch pine boards, one one-inch board, some fivepenny nails, and 
about a half pound of wrought-iron nails of the same size as the 
oftes just mentioned. 

A saw, a plane, and a sharp hatchet are requisite in the way 
of tools. Other tools, if not absolutely necessary, should not 
on that account be ignored, as they may come in very handy 
at times. 

When selecting the lumber for the boat, pick out those 
pieces which are free from large knots and other blemishes. 
Reserve two of the best boards for the sides, and let them meas- 
ure II feet in length and 12 inches in width when trimmed. 
Measuring toward the centre, mark a point 2^^ feet from each 
end of one of the side boards upon the edge selected fof 



ro2 Summer. 



the bottom. Measuring from the bottom edge toward the 
top, mark a point upon each end 8 inches from the bottom. 
Saw off the triangular pieces between these points (Fig. 73). 
Round off the angles with a plane, and make the other side 
board an exact duplicate of the one just described (Fig. 74). 

«-"^ s^ «. k. ft 



Fig. t^' — Side Board. 

For the ends of the boat use the I J^-inch plank, making ot 
it two small boards to fit between the ends of the side boards. 

The side pieces now measure 4 inches upon each end 
(Fig. 73), hence the end boards ought to be 4 inches wide ; 
but to make sure of neat joints, it is best to allow ^ inch extra. 
Make the end pieces 3 feet long, 4^ inches wide, and I inch 
thick. Set the side pieces parallel to each other upon their 
straight or top edges, and between their ends fit the end boards 
(Fig. 74). After seeing that all the corners are square, nail the 
end boards in place. Plane off the protruding edges at the bow 
and stern, so that the bottom pieces overlapping them will 
make close joints ; then nail the bottom boards on crosswise, as 




Fig. 74, 

shown in the illustration (Fig. 75). All nails must be driven in 
so that their heads are below the surface of the board, or as car- 
penters call it, countersunk, and the indentations made should 
be puttied up. 

Turn the scow over, and upon the inside, at the middle of the 



Home-Made Boats. 



103 



bottom, nail a ^-inch long bottom board (Figs. ^6 and 77), 
Next cut two small boards of ^-inch plank ; make them 7 inches 
wide and about i foot 5 inches long ; cut out a place in one 
end of each, as shown by A, Fig. ^6 \ these are to serve as row- 




FiG. 75. 

locks, and should be nailed with wrought-iron nails to the inside 
of the boat, so that the centres of the rowlocks are about 4 feet 
10 inches from the end which will be the stern of the boat ; this 
is the simplest style of rowlock, but a much neater one can be 
made by using thole-pins (Fig. TT y B). 

Turn the boat upon its side and nail a strip 1 1 feet long, 2 
inches wide, and I inch thick upon the upper edge of the side 
board; repeat the operation on the other side, using wrought 
nails and clinching them. If thole-pins are intended to be used, 




Fig. ^6. 

before nailing the strips upon the sides, 4 feet 9 inches from 
one end of each strip cut a notch in the side y^ inch deep 
and 11^ wide ; 3 inches from this notch, or 5 feet from the same 
end, cut another similar notch. When these strips are nailed on 



I04 



summer. 



the sides (Fig. 77) the notches cut in them form the rowlocks. 
Put in more nails near the rowlocks than elsewhere, to help to 
withstand the greater strain that that part has to bear. The 
end of the boat nearest the rowlocks is the stern. Of oak or 
some hard wood make four thole-pins to fit into the rowlocks 
(Fig. 77, B). 

For a seat use a board about i foot wide ; it should be 3 
feet long to fit inside the boat ; the seat rests upon two cleats 



Thok-i 




Fig. 77. 

set 6 inches below the top of the side boards (Fig. "J"]^ ; the aft 
edge of the seat should be about i foot forward of the row- 
locks. 

A bow and stern seat should be made for passengers ; these 
seats need not set so low as the one occupied by the oarsman, 
and may be made of boards nailed across the top of the boat 
at the bow and stern, and the space underneath them may be 
used for lockers. 

If a chain "painter" is used, fasten it to the bow with an 
iron staple (Fig. 'jG) ; but if a rope is preferred, or is more 
easily obtained, run one end of it through a hole bored for the 
purpose in the bow seat, and knot the end so that it cannot 
slip out (Fig. 'j'jy When such a boat is built with clean, close 



Home- Made Boats. 105 



fitting joints, and the cracks daubed with thick paint, it is often 
unnecessary to do any further caulking. A good method is 
to saturate pieces of woollen cloth with paint and place them 
between the different parts before they are joined. After the 
carpenter work is done, go to the paint shop and get a can of 
white paint, first telling the painter to weigh the can. After 
you have used what paint is necessary, return the can, have it 
weighed, and pay only for the amount used. If you are well 
known the painter will not hesitate to allaw you to do this, and 
you will find it the most economical way. After the first coat 
of paint is dry put on a second coat ; as soon as that is hard- 
ened, which will be in two or three days, according to the 
weather, your boat is ready for launching ; it may leak at first, 
but after the seams have swelled it will be almost perfectly dry 
inside. 

A Floating Camp, or the Boy's Own Fiat-Boat. 

Flat-boats are essentially inland craft, having their origin 
with the birth of trade in the West before the puffing and pant- 
ing steam-boats plowed their way through the turbid waters 
of Western rivers. They are craft that can be used on any 
stream large enough to float a yawl, but the St. John's River, 
Florida, is perhaps the most tempting stream for the amateur 
flat-boatman. The numerous inlets and lakes connected with 
the river, the luxuriant semi-tropical foliage on the banks, the 
strange-looking fish and great, stupid alligators, the beautiful 
white herons and hundreds of water-fowl of many descriptions 
— all form features that add interest to its navigation and 
inducements to hunters, fishermen, naturalists, and pleasure- 
seekers scarcely equalled by any other accessible river of the 
United States. 

To build the hull of the flat-boat, use pine lumber. For 
tfefi sides select two good, straight 2-inch planks, 14 feet long 



io6 Summer. 



and about i6 inches wide. Take one of the planks (Fig. 78)^ 
measure 6 inches from the top upon each end, and mark 
the points A, a (Fig. 78) ; then upon the bottom measure from 
each end toward the centre 2 feet, and mark the points B, b 
I (Fig. 78). Saw off the corners A, B and a, b, and round the 



EZ 



Fig. 78. 

angles in the manner described on page 102 and illustrated by 
Fig. 74. Next take two 2-inch planks, 6]^ inches wide and 6 
feet long, for the stem and stern ; set the side pieces on edge 
upside down, and nail on the two end pieces (see Fig. 79). 
Then, allowing 4 inches — the thickness of the two sides — there 
will be a space inside the boat of 5 feet 8 inches. Take three 
pieces of scantling about 3 inches thick and 5 feet 8 inches 
long ; place one near the end flush with the bottom of the boat 
just where the sheer of bow and stern begins (see A and B, Fig. 
79). After fitting them carefully, nail them firmly. Nail the 
other piece of scantling in place at the point C (Fig. 79), so 




Fig. 79. 

that it will measure 6 feet from the outside of the brace A to 
the outside of the brace C. Plane off the protruding edges of 
the bow and stern. 

A bottom may now be put on as described on page 102 
and illustrated by Fig. 75, or a regular flat-boat bottom can 
be made by selecting good, straight ^-inch lumber a little ovef 
14 feet long, to allow for the curve. 

Nail an end of one of the bottom boards to the stern board 



Home- Made Boats. 107 

(see Fig. 80) ; its side edge must be flush with the outer edge 
of the side piece. Bend the bottom board carefully along the 
curve to the first cross piece A (Fig. 80) and nail it firmly ; 
nail it again at C and at the bow, being careful to make it con- 
form to the curve of the sides. Follow the same plan with the 
next board, keeping it close up against the first board so as to 




Fig. 80. 

leave no crack when the bottom is finished. Caulk up any 
accidental cracks with oakum ; give the whole hull a coating of 
coal tar, and allow it to harden. The remainder of the work is 
comparatively easy. 

After the coal tar has hardened, turn the boat over and 
erect four posts, one at each end of the cross piece A and one 
at each end of the cross piece C (Fig. 79 or 80). 

The tops of the posts for this size boat should be about 
3^ feet above the bottom of the hull. Put a cross piece on 
the top of the post at A and another at C, and the frame- 
work of your cabin is done. It may now be covered with can- 
vas, or, as in the illustrations, with thin planks, in which case 
make the roof of i^-inch boards, bending them in an arch so 
that the middle will rise about one foot higher than the sides. 

The eaves should overhang about six inches beyond the 
cabin upon each side. 

Board up the sides with the same material used for the roof- 
ing, leaving openings for windows and doors. Pieces of shoe 
leather make very good hinges for the door, but iron hinges 
are of course the best;, Th^ cabin can then be floored, a bunk 



io8 



Summer, 



or two may be bailt, and as many other conveniences as youf 
taste or necessities may indicate, can be provided ; a few clothes- 
hooks, etc. 

Put in rowlocks ; those used in the Crusoe raft are best for 
large flat-boats, but for this one make rowlocks on the same 
plan as the ones illustrated by Fig. ']6, A (page 103). There 
should be three rowlocks, one for the steering oar and two near 
the front for rowing (see Fig. 81). 




6CA1.E. or rfiT^ 

Fig. 81.— Side View of Flat-Boat 



Set a seat in front of the rowlock with a hole in it for the 
** jack-staff" to pass through. The jack-staff should be made 
so that it can be taken out and put in at pleasure. This can 
be done by making a simple socket underneath the seat for the 
end of the staff to fit in. 

The flat-boat is ndw ready to be launched, which should be 
done with appropriate ceremonies. Fig. 81 shows the side 
view of a 14-foot flat-boat ; the cabin, to better show its con- 
struction, is increased in height in the drawing, and, according 



Home-Made Boats, 



109 



to the scale, it measures about five feet at the sides and six feet 
at the ridge-pole. Fig. 82 shows a front view of the same. 

Fig. 83 shows a top view of - 

a flat-boat as it would appear I 

looking down upon the roof of 
the cabin. 

The large diagram (Fig. 
84) drawn in perspective shows 
how a cabin for a little larger 
boat can be arranged. The dia- 
gram is drawn on the scale of 
feet marked below it. The floor 
is about six feet long by six feet 
wide, and the side walls are five 
feet high. A cabin of these di- 
mensions can be arranged with 
four folding berths, two upon 
each side, made of boards each 
the sides by hinges. The 



r 



^f=^ 



Fig. 82.— Front View of Fiat-Boat. 



two feet wide and fastened to 
top berths may be supported by 
their hinges and a cross beam upon the inside, and by two broad 









i 




\ 







11 1 ■ II 

- ; H 

r"Ti — _ 



Fig. 83.— Top View of Fiat-Boat. 



Straps upon the outside ; the straps button on to knobs In the 
ends of the berths. The lower berths can be provided with 



no 



Summer. 



folding legs, as shown by the illustration (Fig. 84), which shows 
two berths down on the left-hand side and two folded up on 
the right-hand side. The lockers underneath the bottom berths 
can be used for storing away bed-clothes. 

In the rear, under a looking-glass, can be seen a device for 
a folding desk, which is simply a square board attached to 




Fig. 84. — Perspective View of Interior of a Cabin. 

the wall, like the berths, by hinges, and which may be let 
down so as to hang flat against the wall, out of the way when 
llie berths are to be used. The legs to the desk are hinged 
at the bottom, and as the desk is raised the legs fall for- 
ward, resting against the cleat upon the bottom of the top 



Home-Made Boats, in 

board, which holds it in the position shown by the diagram. 
Many other Httle conveniences may be added, such as a small 
cooking-stove, book-shelves, gun-racks, etc., but I shall not go 
into further details, my aim being only to suggest how it may 
be done, as every boy who is smart enough to build a flat-boat 
will have his own peculiar ideas about the manner in which it 
should be fitted up inside. The interior construction depends, 
in a measure, upon the number of persons who are to occupy 
the cabin, and whether it is to be used by a party of young 
naturahsts upon a collecting tour, or for fishing and shooting ex- 
cursions, or simply as a sort of picnic boat for a few days' en- 
joyment, such as most boys in the country are quite well able 
to plan and carry out unaided. 

Although a rude home-made flat-boat does not possess 
speed, yet with a square sail rigged on the jack-staff, and with 
a good wind over the stern, it will make good time ; and as 
this sort of craft draws only a few inches of water, it can float 
in creeks and inlets where a well-loaded row-boat would drag 
bottom. 

The advantages of a flat-boat consist in the fact that it is a 
comfortable, cosey little house in which one could spend a 
month very pleasantly hunting or fishing, or visiting the various 
points of interest along the shores of the river and inlets, and, 
whenever the floating home drifts in sight of a pleasant place 
to stop, all that is necessary is to make fast to the bank, thus 
escaping the nuisance of moving bag and baggage. 

During a cruise the members of the party will have frequent 
occasion to put in practice all manner of devices for saving 
labor, and making the hunter as far as possible independent of 
a mate when, as often happens, two boys cannot be spared 
from the boat to go foraging together. One of these *' wrin- 
kles," as they are termed, is a floating fish-car, adaptea for 
minnows or large fish, which being fastened to the fisherman's 



112 



Summer, 



waist, floats behind as he wades. This arrangement not only 
saves much weariness in carrying finny spoils to camp after, 




A New Wrinkle. 

perhaps, a long and trying day, but it helps to keep the fish 
fresh ; and when not in active use it may be towed behind 
•^ The Ark." 



Home-Made Boats. 113 

Many hints of this same kind might be given, but this one 
will suffice to show that a boy with his wits about him can 
lighten very materially the fatigues inseparable from camping 
out and flat-boating. Endurance of hardship is noble in itself, 
and there is call enough for it in this rough-and-tumble world ; 
but the fellow who most enjoys ''roughing it" in a trip out- 
doors is he who is quickest to save himself unnecessary exer- 
tion by using the simplest means at hand. 

The Yankee Pine. 

From the saw-mills away up among the tributaries of the Ohio 
River come floating down to the towns along the shore great 
rafts of pine lumber. These rafts are always objects of interest 
to the boys, for the youngsters know that when moored to the 
shore the solidly packed planks make a splendid platform to 
swim from. Fine springing-boards can be made of the project- 
ing blades of the gigantic sweeps which are used to guide the 
mammoth rafts, and, somewhere aboard, there is always to be 
found a " Yankee Pine." Just when or why this style of skiff 
was dubbed with such a peculiar name I am unable to state ; 
but this I know, that when a raft is to be broken up and carted 
away to the lumber yards there is, or always used to be, a 
good, light skiff to be had cheap. 

However, all boys do not live on the bank of the river, and 
if they did there would hardly be " Yankee Pines " enough to 
go round ; so we will at once proceed to see how to build one 
for ourselves. Although my readers may find the '' Yankee 
Pine " a little more difficult to build than the blunt-ended, flat- 
bottomed scow, it really is a comparatively simple piece of work 
for boys familiar with the use of carpenters' tools. 

For the side pieces select two straight-grained pine boards 
free from knots. These boards should be about 1 3 or 14 feet long, 
8 



114 Summer. 



a couple of inches over a foot in width, and as nearly alike 
as possible in texture. Besides these, there should be in the 
neighborhood of a dozen other ^-inch planks, an inch or two 
over a half foot in width. A small piece of 2-inch plank for 



I 



Fig. 8s. 

the stern piece is also necessary. Upon the bottom edge of 
the side board measure off from each end toward the centre 4 
inches, mark the points, and saw off the corners shown by the 
dotted line in Fig. 85. Next take a piece of board 4 feet long 
and a foot wide, saw off the corners as you did on the side 
board, making it 4 feet on the top and 3 feet 4 inches on 
the bottom. This board is to be used only as a centre brace 
while modelHng the boat. 

Out of the 2-inch plank make a stern piece of the same 
shape as the centre brace ; let it be i foot wide, 14 inches long 
on the bottom, and 20 inches long on top. Set the side boards 
on their shorter or bottom edges, and place the centre brace in 
the middle, as shown by Fig. 86 ; nail the side boards to it, using 




Fig. 86. 



only enough nails to hold temporarily. Draw the side boards 
together at the bow, and against the stern board at the stern 
(Fig. 86). Hold the side pieces in position by the means of 
ropes. A stem should be ready to fix in the bow (Fig. 87).* 



Home- Made Boats, 115 

This had better be a few inches longer than the sides are broad, 
as it is a simple matter to saw off the top after it is fitted. 
Make the stem of a triangular piece of timber, by planing off 

the front edge until a flat sur- . 

face about ^ inch broad is ^^^ st^^T....^ '-y 

obtained ; 2 inches from the \l — ^ 

front, upon each side, cut a ^^' '^' 

groove just the thickness of the side boards (^ inch). Trim 
the stem so that the side pieces at the bow fit the grooves 
snugly, and nail the side boards to the stem and to the stern 
piece (Fig. Z6). 

Turn the boat upside down, and it will be discovered that 
the outlines of the bottom form an arch from stem to stern. If 
left in this shape the boat will sink too deep amidships. 
Remedy the defect by planing the bottom edge of both- side 
pieces, reducing the convex form to straight lines in the middle. 
This will allow the bow and stern to sheer, but at the same time 
will make the central part of the bottom flat, and by having less 
to drag through the water make it easier to row. Nail the 
bottom boards on crosswise, and as, on account of the form of 
the boat, no two boards will be of the same size, they must 
be first nailed on and the projecting ends sawed off afterward. 
The centre brace may now be taken out and a long bottom 
board nailed to the centre of the bottom upon the inside of the 
boat (Fig. 88). Cut a small cross piece (B, Fig. 88) so that it 
will fit across the bow 3 inches below the top of the side boards. 
Nail it in place, driving the nails from the outside, of the side- 
board through and into the end of the stick B. Saw out a bow 
seat, and, allowing the broad end to rest on the cross stick B, fit 
the seat in and secure it with nails (Fig. 88) ; 3 inches below 
the top of the stern piece nail a cleat across. At the same dis- 
tance below the side board put a cross stick similar to the one 
in the bow. This and the cleat on the stern piece form rests 



ii6 



Summer, 



for the stern seat. Five feet from the stern, saw a notch 2 
inches deep and ii^ inch long in each side board (A, A', Fig. 
88). Saw two more notches of the same size 3 inches from the 
first ; these will make the rowlock when the side strips have 
been fastened on. 

These strips should each be made of i-inch plank, 2 inches 
wide and an inch or two longer than the side boards. Nail the 
strips on the outside of the boat flush with the top of the side 
boards, making a neat joint at the stern piece, as shown in the 
illustration (Fig. ZZ). Cut two short strips to fit upon the inside 




Fig. 88. 



at the rowlocks, and fasten them firmly on with screws (Fig. 
88, A). Next cut two cleats for the oarsman's seat to rest upon. 
Nail them to the side boards amidship a little nearer the bot- 
tom than the top, so that the seat, when resting upon the cleats, 
will be about half the distance from the top edge to the bottom 
of the side boards. Let the aft end of the cleats be about 6 feet 
2 inches from the stern. Make thole-pins of some hard wood 
to fit in the rowlocks, like those heretofore described and illus- 
trated by Fig. 'J'] y B, page 104. 

The Yankee Pine now only needs a keel board to complete 
it. This must be placed exactly in the centre, and is fastened 
on by a couple of screws at the thin end and nails from the in- 



Home-Made Boats. 



117 



side of the boat. It is also fastened to the upright stick at the 
stern by screws (Fig. 89). 

If the joints have been carefully made, your Yankee Pine is 
now ready for launching. Being made of rough lumber it 
needs no paint or varnish, but is a 
sort of rough-and-ready affair, 
light to row ; and it ought to float 
four people with ease. By using 
planed pine or cedar lumber, and ^^^- ^9. 

with hard-wood stem and stern, a very pretty row-boat can be 
made upon the same plan as a Yankee Pine, or by putting in 
a centre-board and '* stepping " a mast in the bow, the Yankee 
Pine can be transformed into a sail-boat. But before experi- 
menting in this line of boat building, the beginner had better 
read the following chapter on how to rig and sail small boats. 





Top View of " Man Friday, 



CHAPTER Xlir. 
HOW TO RIG AND SAIL SMALL BOATS. 

To have tlie tiller in one's own hands and feel competent, 
under all ordinary circumstances, to bring a boat safely into 
port, gives the same zest and excitement to a sail (only in a 
far greater degree) that the handhng of the whip and reins 
over a lively trotter does to a drive. 

Knowing and feeling this, it was my intention to devote a 
couple of chapters to telling how to sail a boat ; but through the 
kind courtesy of the editor of The American Canoeist, I am 
able to do much better by giving my readers a talk on this sub- 
ject by one whose theoretical knowledge and practical expe- 
rience renders him pre-eminently fit to give reliable advice and 
counsel. The following is what Mr. Charles Ledyard Norton, 
editor of the above-mentioned journal, says : 

*' Very many persons seem to ignore the fact that a boy 
who knows how to manage a gun is, upon the whole, less likely 
to be shot than one who is a bungler through ignorance, or 
that a good swimmer is less likely to be drowned than a poor 
one. Such, however, is the truth beyond question. If a 
skilled sportsman is now and then shot, or an expert swimmer 
drowned, the fault is not apt to be his own, and if the one who 
is really to blame had received proper training, it is not likely 
that the accident would have occurred at all. The same argu- 
ment holds good with regard to the management of boats, and 
the author is confident that he merits the thanks of mothers, 



How to Rig and Sail Small Boats, 119 

whether he receives them or not, for giving their boys a few 
hints as to practical rigging and sailing. 

** In general, there are three ways of learning how to sail 
boats. First, from the light of nature, which is a poor way ; 
second, from books, which is better ; ^nd third, from another 
fellow who knows how, which is best of all. I will try to make 
this article as much like the other fellow and as httle bookish as 
possible. 

** Of course, what I shall say in these few paragraphs will be 
of small use to those who live within reach of the sea or some 
big lake, and have always been used to boats ; but there are 
thousands and thousands of boys and men who never saw the 
sea, nor even set eyes on a sail, and who have not the least 
idea how to make the wind take them where they want to go. 
I once knew some young men from the interior who went down 
to the sea-side and hired a boat, with the idea that they had 
nothing to do but hoist the sail and be blown wherever they 
liked. The result was that they performed a remarkable set 
of manoeuvres within sight of the boat-house, and at last went 
helplessly out to sea and had to be sent after and brought back, 
when they were well laughed at for their performances, and had 
reason to consider themselves lucky for having gotten off so 
cheaply. 

*' The general principles of sailing are as simple as the na- 
tional game of * one ole cat.' That is to, say, if the wind 
always blew moderately and steadily, it would be as easy and 
as safe to sail a boat as it Is to drive a steady old family horse 
of good and regular habits. The fact, however. Is that winds 
and currents are variable In their moods, and as capable of un- 
expected freaks as the most fiery of unbroken colts ; but when 
properly watched and humored they are tractable and fascinat- 
ing playmates and servants. 

*' Now, let us come right down to first principles. Take a bit 



I20 



Summer. 



of pine board, sharpen it at one end, set up a mast about a 
quarter of the length of the whole piece from the bow, fit on a 
square piece of stiff paper or card for a sail, and you are ready 
for action. Put this in the water, with the sail set squarely 
across (A, Fig. 90), and she will run off before the wind — which 

is supposed to be 
blowing as indi- 
cated by the ar- 
row — at a good 
rate of speed. 
If she does not 
steer herself, put 
a small weight 
near the stern, or 
square end ; or, 
if you like, ar- 
range a thin bit 
of wood for a 
Fig. 90. rudder. 

" Probably the first primeval man who was born with nau- 
tical instincts discovered this fact, and, using a bush for a 
sail, greatly astonished his fellow primevals by winning some 
prehistoric regatta But that was all he could do. He was 
as helpless as a balloonist is in mid-air. He could go, but 
he could not get back, and we may be sure that ages passed 
away before the possibility of sailing to windward was dis- 
covered. 

'^ Now, put up, or ' step,' another mast and sail like the first, 
about as far from the stern as the first is from the bow. Turn 
the two sails at an angle of forty-five degrees across the boat 
(B or C, Fig. 90), and set her adrift. She will make considera- 
ble progress across the course of the wind, although she will at 
the same time drift with it. If she wholly refuses to go in the 




How to Rig and Sail Small Boats, 121 



^K 



right direction, place a light weight on her bow, so that she will 
be a little ' down by the head,' or move the aftermost mast 
and sail a little nearer to the stern. 

*' The little rude affair thus used for experiment will not 
actually make any progress to windward, because she is sg 
light that she moves sidewise almost as easily as she does for- 
ward. With a larger, deeper boat, and with sails which can be 
set at any angle, the effect will be different. So long as the 
wind presses against the after side of the sail, the boat will 
move through the water in the direction of the least resistance, 
which is forward. A square sail, having the mast in the middle, 
was easiest to begin with for purposes of explanation ; but now 
we will change to a ' fore-and-aft ' rig — that is, one with the 
mast at the forward edge or ' luff' of the sail, as in Fig. 91. 
Suppose the sail to 
be set at the angle 
shown, and the 
wind blowing as 
the arrow points. 
The boat cannot 
readily move side- 
wise, because of 
the broadside re- Fig. 91. 

sistance ; she does not move backward, because the wind is 
I pressing on the aftermost side of the sail. So she very natur- 
ally moves forward. When she nears buoy No. I, the helms- 
man moves the ' tiller,' or handle of the rudder, toward the sail. 
This causes the boat to turn her head toward buoy No. 2, the 
sail swings across to the other side of the boat and fills on 
that side, which now in turn becomes the aftermost, and she 
moves toward buoy No. 2 nearly at right angles to her former 
course. Thus, through a series of zig-zags, the wind is made 




to work 



itself. This operation is called * tacking,' or 



122 



Summer, 



' working to windward,' and the act of turning, as at the buoys 
No. I and No. 2, is called ' going about.' 

*' It will be seen, then, that the science of sailing lies in being 
able to manage a boat with her head pointing at any possible 
angle to or from the wind. Nothing but experience can teach 
one all the niceties of the art, but a little aptitude and address 
will do to start with, keeping near shore and carrying little 
sail. 



Simplest Rig Possible. 

'* I will suppose that the reader has the use of a broad, flat- 
bottomed boat without any rudder. (See Fig. 92.) She can- 




FiG. 92. 

not be made to work like a racing yacht under canvas, but lots 
of fun can be had out of her. 

'* Do not go to any considerable expense at the outset. Pro. 
cure an old sheet, or an old hay-cover, six or eight feet square, 
and experim.ent with that before spending your money on new 



How to Rig and Sail Small Boats. 123 

material. If it is a sheet, and somewhat weakly in its texture, 
turn all the edges in and sew them, so that it shall not give way 
at the hems. At each corner sew on a few inches of strong 
twine, forming loops at the angles. Sew on, also, eyelets or 
small loops along the edge which is intended for the luff of the 
sail, so that it can be laced to the mast. 

** You are now ready for your spars, namely, a mast and a 
* sprit,' the former a couple of feet longer than the luff of the 
sail, and the latter to be cut off when you find how long you 
want it. Let these spars be of pine, or spruce, or bamboo — as 
light as possible, especially the sprit. An inch and a half di- 
ameter will do for the mast, and an inch and a quarter for the 
sprit, tapering to an inch at the top. To * step ' the mast, 
bore a hole through one of the thwarts (seats) near the bow, 
and make a socket or step on the bottom of the boat, just 
under the aforesaid hole — or if anything a trifle farther for- 
ward — to receive the foot of the mast. This will hold the mast 
upright, or with a slight * rake ' aft. 

"" Lace the luff of the sail to the mast so that its lower edge 
will swing clear by a foot or so of the boat's sides. Make fast 
to the loop at D a stout hne, ten or twelve feet long. This is 
called the * sheet,' and gives control of the sail. The upper end 
of the sprit, C, E, is trimmed so that the loop at C will fit over 
it but not slip down. The lower end is simply notched to re- 
ceive a short line called a * snotter,' as shown in the detailed 
drawing at the right of the cut (Fig. 92). It will be readily un- 
derstood that, when the sprit is pushed upward in the direction 
of C, the sail will stand spread out. The line is placed in the 
notch at E and pulled up until the sail sets properly, when it is 
made fast to a cleat or to a cross piece at F. This device is in 
common use and has its advantages, but a simple loop for the 
foot of the sprit to rest in is more easily made and will do 
pearly as well. H is an oar for steering. Having thus de- 



124 



Summer. 



scribed the simplest rig possible, we may turn our attention to 
more elegant and elaborate but not always preferable outfits. 




Leg-of-Mutton Rig. 

** One of the prettiest and most convenient rigs for a smal] 
boat is known as the * leg-of-mutton sharpie rig ' (Fig. 93). 
The sail is triangular, and the sprit, instead of reaching to its 
upper corner, stands nearly at right angles 
to the mast. It is held, in position at the 
mast by the devices already described. This 
rig has the advantage of keeping the whole 
sail flatter than any other, for the end of 
the sprit cannot ^ kick up,' as the phrase 
goes, and so the sail holds all the wind it 
receives. 

*' Fig. 94 shows a device, published for 
■^^^^^J^^^T^ the first time in the St. Nicholas Magazine 
Fig. 93. for September, 1880, which enables the sail- 

or to step and unstep his mast, and hoist or lower his sail with- 
out leaving his seat — a matter of great importance when the 
boat is light and tottlish, as in the case of that most beautiful 
of small craft, the modern canoe,' where the navigator sits habit- 
ually amidships. The lower mast (A, B, Fig. 94) stands about 
two and a half feet above the deck. It is fitted at the head 
with a metal ferrule and pin, and just above the deck with two 
half-cleats or other similar devices (A). The topmast (C, D) 
is fitted at F with a stout ring, and has double halyards (E) 
rove through or around its foot. The lower mast being in po- 
sition (see lower part of Fig. 94), the canoeist desiring to make 
sail brings the boat's head to the wind, takes the top-mast with 
the sail loosely furled in one hand, and the halyards in the 
other. It is easy for him by raising this mast, without leaving 



How to Rig and Sail Small Boats, 125 



his seat, to pass the halyards one on each side of the lower 
mast and let them fall into place close to the deck under the 
half- cleats at A. 
Then, holding the 
halyards taut 
enough to keep 
them in position, 
he will hook the 
topmast ring over 
the pin in the lower 
mast-head and haul 
away (see top part 
of Fig. 94). The 
mast will rise into 
place, where it is 
made fast. A col- 
lar of leather, or a 
knob of some kind, 
placed on the top- 
mast just below the 
ring, will act as a 
fulcrum when the 
halyards are hauled 
taut, and keep the 
mast from working 
to and fro. 

^'The advan- 
tages of the rig are 
obvious. The mast 
can be raised with- 
out standing up, 
and in' case of necessity the halyards can be lei go and the 
mast and sail unshipped and stowed below with the greatest 




Fig. 94.— a New Device. 



126 



Summer. 



ease and expedition, leaving only the short lower mast stand 
ing. A leg-of-mutton sail with a common boom along the foot 
is shown in the cut as the most easily illustrated application of 
the device, but there is no reason why it may not be applied to 
a sail of different shape, with a sprit instead of a boom, and a 
square instead of a pointed head. 




**The Latteen Rig 

is recommended only for boats which are ' stiff*— not tottllsh, 
that is. The fact that a considerable portion of the sail pro- 
jects forward of the mast renders it awkward in case of a sud- 
den shift of wind. Its most convenient 
TtJ^ss form is shown in Fig;. Q^^. The arranere- 
ment for shipping and unshipping the 
yard is precisely like that shown in Fig. 
94 — a short lower mast with a pin at 
the top and a ring fitted to the yard. 
It has a boom at the foot which is 
joined to the yard at C by means of a 
hook or a simple lashing, having suffi- 
cient play to allow the two spars to 
shut up together like a pair of dividers. 
The boom (C, E) has, where it meets 
the short lower mast, a half cleat or jaw, 
shown in detail at the bottom of the cut 
(Fig. 95), the circle representing a cross 
Fig. 95-— The Latteen Rig. section of the mast. This should be 
lashed to the boom, as screws or bolts would weaken it. To 
take in sail, the boatman brings the boat to the wind, seizes the 
boom and draws it toward him. This disengages it from the 
mast. He then shoves it forward, when the yard (C, D) falls of 
its own weight into his hands, and can be at once lifted clear of 




JDcCculs.c/ ~Y 
Ijfittee.jz ^cfj 



How to Rig and Sail Small Boats. 127 

the lower mast. To keep the sail flat, it is possible to arrange 
a collar on the lower mast so that the boom, when once in po- 
sition, cannot slip upward and suffer the sail to bag. 

"The Cat-Rig, 

so popular on the North Atlantic coast, is indicated in Fig. 
91. The spar at the head of the sail is called a * gaff,* 
and, like the boom, it fits the mast with semicircular jaws. 
The sail is hoisted and lowered by means of halyards rove 
through a block near the mast-head. The mast is set in the 
bows — ' chock up in the eyes of her,' as a sailor would say. 
A single leg-of-mutton sail will not work in this position, be* 
cause the greater part of its area is too far forward of amidships. 
No rig is handier or safer than this in working to windward ; 
but off the wind — running before, or nearly before it, that is — 
the weight of mast and sail, and the pressure of the wind at one 
side and far forward, make the boat very difficult and dangerous 
to steer. Prudent boatmen often avoid doing so by keeping 
the wind on the quarter and, as it were, tacking to leeward. 

** This suggests the question of * jibing,' an operation always 
to be avoided if possible. Suppose the wind to be astern, and 
the boat running nearly before it. It becomes necessary to 
change your course toward the side on which the sail is draw- 
ing. The safest way is to turn at first in the opposite direction, 
put the helm * down' (toward the sail), bring the boat up into 
the wind, turn her entirely around, and stand off on the new 
tack. This, however, is not always possible. Hauling in the 
sheet until the sail fills on the other side is * jibing ; * but when 
this happens it goes over with a rush that sometimes carries 
mast and sheet or upsets the boat ; hence the operation should 
be first undertaken in a light wind. It is necessary to know 
how to do it, for sometimes a sail insists upon jibing very un^«^ 
pectedly, and it is best to be prepared for such emergencies 



128 ^ Summer. 



How to Make a Sail, 

** For the sails of such boats as are considered in this paper^ 
there is no better material than unbleached twilled cotton sheet- 
ing. It is to be had two and a half or even three yards wide. 
In cutting out your sail, let the selvedge be at the ' leech,* ot 
aftermost edge. This, of course, makes it necessary to' cut the 
luff and foot * bias,* and they are very likely to stretch in the 
making, so that the sail will assume a different shape from what 
was intended. To avoid this, baste the hem carefully before 
sewing, and * hold in * a little to prevent fuUing. It is a good 
plan to tack the material on the floor before cutting, and mark 
the outline of the sail with pencil. Stout tape stitched along 
the bias edges will make a sure thing of it, and the material can 
be cut, making due allowance for the hem. Better take femi- 
nine advice on this process. The hems should be half an inch 
deep all around, selvedge and all, and it will do no harm to re- 
inforce them with cord if you wish to make a thoroughly good 
piece of work. 

*' For running- rigging, nothing is better than laid or braided 
cotton cord, such as is used for awnings and sash-cords. If 
this is not easily procured, any stout twine will answer. It can 
be doubled and twisted as often as necessary. The smallest 
manila rope is rather stiff and unmanageable for such light sails 
as ours. 

" In fitting out a boat of any kind, iron, unless galvanized, is 
to be avoided as much as possible, on account of its liability to 
rust. Use brass or copper instead. 

Hints to Beginners. 
** Nothing has been said about reefing thus far, because small 
boats under the management of beginners should not be afloat 
1^ a * reefing breeze.' Reefing is the operation of reducing. 



How to Rig and Sail Smaf^ Boats, y 29 

the spread of sail when the wind becomes too fresh. If you 
will look at Fig. 95 you will see rows qf short marks on the sail 
above the boom. These are ' reef-points ' — bits of line about 
a foot long passing through holes in the sail, and knotted so 
that they will not slip. In reefing, the sail is lowered and that 
portion of it between the boom and the reef-points is gathered 
together, and the points are tied around both it and the boom. 
When the lower row of points is used it is a single reef. Both 
rows together are a double reef. 

" Make your first practical experiment with a small sail and 
with the wind blowing toward the shore. Row out a little way, 
and then sail in any direction in which you can make the boat 
go, straight back to shore if you can, with the sail out nearly at 
right angles with the boat. Then try running along shore with 
the sheet hauled in a little, and the sail on the side nearest the 
shore. You will soon learn what your craft can do, and will 
probably find that she will make very little, if any, headway to 
windward. This is partly because she slides sidewise over the 
water. To prevent it you may use a ' lee-board ' — namely, a 
broad board hung oyer the side of the boat (G, Fig. 92). This 
must be held by stout lines, as the strain upon it is very heavy.. 
It should be placed a little forward of the middle of the boat. 
It must be on the side away from the wind — the lee side — and 
must be shifted when you go about. Keels and centre-boards 
are permanent contrivances for the same purpose/ but a lee- 
board answers very well as a makeshift, and is even used, 
habitually by some canoeists and other boatmen. 

" In small boats it is sometimes desirable to sit amidship^s, 
because sitting in the stern raises the bow too high out of 
water; steering may be done with an oar over the lee side, or 
with 'yoke-lines' attached to a cross piece on the rudder- 
head, or even to the tiller. In this last case, the lines must be 
rove through rings or pulleys at the sides of the boat opposite 
o 



130 Summer. 



the end of the tiller. When the handle of the oar (H, Fig. 92J 
— or the tiller (F, Fig. 95) if a rudder is used — is pushed to the 
right, the boat will turn to the left, and vice versa. The science 
of steering consists in knowing when to push and how much to 
push — very simple, you see, in the statement, but not always 
so easy in practice. 

**The sail should be so adjusted in relation to the rest of the 
boat that, when the sheet is hauled close in and made fast, the 
boat, if left to herself, will point her head to the wind like a 
weather-cock, and drift slowly astern. If it is found that the 
sail is so far forward that she will not do this, the fault may be 
remedied by stepping the mast further aft, or by rigging a 
small sail near the stern. This is called a * dandy/ or * steer- 
ing-sail,' and is especially convenient in a boat whose size or 
arrangement necessitates sitting amidships. It may be rigged 
like the mainsail, and when its sheet is once made fast will ordi- 
narily take care of itself in tacking. 

*' Remember that, if the wind freshens or a squall strikes you, 
the position of safety is with the boat's head to the wind. 

When in doubt what to do, 

push the helm down (toward 

the sail) and haul in the slack 

of the sheet as the boat comes 

up into the wind. If she is 

tc I moving astern, or will not mind 

_^tt- ■ _ '^^^^^^^ her helm — and of course she 

Fig. 96. will not if she is not moving — 

pull her head around to the wind with an oar, and experiment 

cautiously until you find which way you can make her go. 

* ' In making a landing, always calculate to have the boat's 
head as near the wind as possible when she ceases to move. 
This whether you lower j^our sail or not. 

*'Thus, if the wind is off shore, as shown at A, Fig 96, land 



tfow to Rig and Sail Small Boats. 131 

^t F or G, with the bow toward the shore. If the wind is from 
the direction of B, land at E with the bow toward B, or at F ; 
if at *;he latter, the boom will swing away from the wharf and 
^r^permit you to lie alongside. If the wind is from D, reverse 
these positions. If the wind comes from the direction of C, 
land either at F or G, with the bow pointing off shore. 

" If you have no one to tell you what to do', you will have to 
feel your way slowly and learn by experience ; but if you have 
nautical instincts you will soon make your boat do what yoi 
wish her to do as far as she is able. But first learn to swim be- 
fore you try to sail a boat'' \ ' 

Volumes have been written on the subject treated in these 
few pages, and it is not yet exhausted. The hints here given 
iire safe ones to follow, and will, it is hoped, be of service tc 
la'sWiy a young sailor in many a corner of the world. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



NOVELTIES IN SOAP-BUBBLES, 



Every Boy His Own Bubble Pipe. 

"A soap-bubble" is 
an uncouth, inelegant name 
for such an ethereal, fairy 
sphere. It is such a com- 
mon, every-day sight to us 
^p that we seldom give it much 
attention or realize how 
wonderful and beautiful is 
this fragile, transparent, liq- 
uid globe. Its spherical 
form is typical of perfection, 
and the ever-changing, pris- 
matic colors of its iridis- 
cent surface charm the eye. 
It is like a beautiful 
Every Boy his own Bubble Pipe. dream; we are entranced 

«vhile it lasts, but in an instant it vanishes and leaves nothing to 
mark its former existence except the memory of its loveliness. 

Few persons can stand by and watch another blowing bub- 
bles without being seized with an uncontrollable desire to blow 
one for themselves. There is a peculiar charm or pleasure in 
the very act which not many who have known it ever outgrow. 
V the present time ** soap-bubble parties'* are becoming quita 




Novelties in Soap- Bubbles. 153 

fashionable. At one of these gatherings the guests, old and 
young, furnished with clay pipes, stand around a table, in the 
centre of which is placed a fancy punch bowl filled — not with 
a mixture of ardent spirits, but soapsuds. Prizes are awarded 
to those among the guests who successfully launch in air the 
largest bubble, and to those who keep theirs flying for; the 
greatest length of time or send them the highest. As may be 
imagined, these parties are very amusing, and everybody at first 
tries to prevent his or her neighbor from succeeding, until, amid 
great merriment and confusion, the hostess Announces that if 
her guests expect the prizes to be awarded, a rule must be 
enacted compelling them to pay more attention to their Own 
efforts and not allowing them to molest each other. 

It is generally known that a bubble will burst if it touch any 
hard or smooth surface, but upon the carpet or a woollen cloth 
it will roll or bounce merrily. 

If you take advantage of this fact you can with a woollen 
cloth make bubbles dance and fly around as lively as a juggler's 
gilt balls, and you will be astonished to find what apparently 
rough handling these fragile bubbles will stand when you are 
careful not to allow them to touch anything but the woollen 
cloth. 

It may be worth remarking that the coarser the soap, the 
brighter the bubbles will be. The compound known as '* soft 
soap" is by some persons considered the best for the purpose. 

In the accompanying illustrations are shown two kinds of 
soap-bubbles. 

One of the pictures shows how to transform your bubble 
into an aerial vapor balloon. 

If you wish to try this pretty experiment, procure a rubber 
tube, say a yard long, and with an aperture small enough to re- 
quire considerable stretching to force it over the gas-burner. 
After you have stretched one end so as to fit tightly over the 



134 



Summer, 



burner, wrap the stem of a clay pipe with wet paper and push 
it into the other end of the tube, where it must fit so as to al- 
low no gas to escape. Dip the bowl of your pipe into the suds 

and turn the gas on ; the force of the 
gas will be sufficient to blow the bub- 
ble for you, and, as the gas is lightei 
|a «— tj>*===*v c^ than the air, the bubble, when freed 

f 1 ..fisi r^ from the pipe, will rapidly ascend and 

never stop in its upward course until 
it perishes. 

Old Uncle Cassius, an aged negro 
down in Kentucky, used to amuse the 
children by making smoke-bubbles. 

Did you ever see smoke-bubbles ? 
In one the white-blue smoke, in beau- 
tiful curves, will curl and circle under 
its crystal shell. Another will possess a 
lovely opalescent, pearly appearance, 
and if one be thrown from the pipe 
while quite small and densely filled 
with smoke, it will appear like an opaque polished ball of milky 
whiteness. It is always a great frolic for th& children when 
they catch Uncle Cassius smoking his corn-cob pipe. They 
gather around his knee with their bowl of soapsuds and bub- 
ble pipes, and while the good-natured old man takes a few lusty 
whiffs from his corn-cob and fills his capacious mouth with 
tobacco smoke, one of the children dips a pipe into the suds, 
starts the bubble and passes it to Uncle Cassius. All then stoop 
down and watch the gradual growth of that wonderful smoke- 
bubble ; and when ** Dandy," the dog, chases and catches one 
of these bubbles, how the children laugh to see the astonished 
and injured look upon his face, and what fun it is to see him 




Gas-bubble. 



sneeze and rub his n&se with his paw I 



Novelties in Soap- Bubbles, 135 

The figure at the head of this chapter shows you how to 
make a giant bubble. It is done by first covering your hands 
well with soapsuds, then placing them together so as to form a 
cup, leaving a small opening at the bottom. AH that is then 
necessary is to hold your mouth about a foot from your hands 
and blow into them. I have made bubbles in this way twice 
the size of my head. These bubbles are so large that they in- 
variably burst upon striking the floor, being unable to withstand 
the concussion. 

Although generally considered a trivial amusement, only fit 
for young children, blowing soap-bubbles has been an occupa- 
tion appreciated and indulged in by great philosophers and men 
of science, and wonderful discoveries in optics and natural 
philosophy might be made with only a clay-pipe and a bowl 
of soapsuds. 



CHAPTER XV, 

FOURTH OP JULY BALLOONS WITH NEW AND 
NOVEL ATTACHMENTS. 



Did you ever, while watching a beautiful soap-bubble dance 
merrily through the air, think how closely it resembled the im- 
mense silken bubble beneath which the daring aeronaut goes 
bounding among the clouds ? 

Especially is this true of the gas-bubble described in the 
foregoing chapter. When a boy, the author's ambition natur- 
ally led him from these vapor balloons to experimenting in 

more lasting material than soap- 
suds. He then devoted his atten- 
tion for some time to paper bal- 
loons, and, after numerous experi- 
ments and disasters, succeeded in 
building balloons of a style which 
is comparatively safe from acci- 
dent and seldom the cause of a 
mortifying failure. If you do not 
want to disappoint the spectators 
by having a fire instead of an as- 
Too long a neck (unsafe). ccnsion, avoid models with small 

mouth-openings or narrow necks. Experience has also taught 
the writer that balloons of good, substantial, portly build go up 
best and make their journey in a stately, dignified manner, 
while the slim, narrow balloon, on the contrary, even if it sue- 




Fourth of yuly BaKoons. 



137 



ceeds in getting a safe start, goes bobbing through the air, 
turning this way and that, until the flame from the fire-ball 





Too Square and Narrow (unsafe). 



Too Narrow (unsafe). 



touches and lights the thin paper, leaving only a handful of 
ashes floating upon the summer breeze. 

The reader can see here illustrated some of the objectionable 




Round Balloon (safe). 



Slightly Elongated Balloon (safe). 



shapes as well as some of the safe styles. For large balloons, 
strong manila-paper is best ; for smaller ones, use tissue-paper," 



138 



Summer. 




Pumpkin-shaped Balloon (safe). 



When you build a balloon, decide first what height you want 
it ; then make the side pieces or gores nearly a third longer ; a 

balloon of thirteen gores, each 
six feet long and one foot great- 
est width, when distended with 
hot air ready to ascend, is a lit- 
tle over four feet high. For 
such a balloon, first make a 
pattern of stiff brown paper by 
which to cut the gores. To 
make the pattern, take a strip 
of paper six feet long and a 
little over one foot wide ; fold 
the paper in the centre length- 
wise, so that it will be only slightly over a half foot from the 
edges to the fold. Along the bottom measure two inches from 
the fold and mark the point. 
At one foot from the bottom, 
at right angles from the folded 
edge, measure three inches and 
one-half, and mark the point ; 
in the same manner mark ofif 
five inches from two feet up 
the fold. From a point three 
feet four inches from the bot- 
tom measure ofif six inches />;>>^^ 
and mark the point ; from this ^^^ 
place the width decreases. At '^^ 
the fourth foot mark a point 
five inches and one half from 

. t_ r 1 J t_ i. ^1 -1 Regular- shaped Balloon (safe). 

the fold ; about three mches & ^ \ > 

and a third at the fifth foot ; nothing, of course, at the sixth 
foe*" '^f ta^- where the gore will come to a point. With chalk 




Fourth of yuly Balloons. 



139 



or pencil draw a curved line connecting these points ; cut the 
paper along this line and unfold it. 

You will have a pattern the shape of a cigar, four inches 




Fig. 97.— Single Gore. 

wide at the bottom, one foot greatest width, and six feet long. 
After pasting your sheets of manila or tissue-paper togethei 
in strips of the required length cut out thirteen gores by the 
pattern just made ; lay one of these gores flat upon the floor, as in 




Fig. 98.— Single Gore Folded. 

Fig' 97 ; fol<^ it in the centre, as in Fig. 98 ; over this lay another 
gore, leaving a margin of the under gore protruding from be- 
neath (Fig. 99). With a brush cover the protruding edge with 
paste, then turn it up and over upon the upper gore, and with 




Fig. 99. — Folded Gore with a second Gore over it, ready for Pasting. 

a towel or rag press it down until the two edges adhere. Fold 
the Upper gore in the centre as you did the first one, and lay 
a third gore upon it ; paste the free protruding edge ; and so on 



I40 



Summer, 



until all thirteen are pasted. It will be found that the bottom 
gore and top gore have each an edge unpasted ; lay these two 
edges together and paste them neatly. 

Next you must make a hoop of rattan or some light sub- 
FiG. loo. stance to fit the mouth openings 

which will be about one foot and 
a half in diameter. Fasten the 
hoop in by pasting the edges of 
the mouth opening around it. In 
very large paper balloons it is well 
to place a piece of string along 
the edge of each gore and paste 
it in, letting the ends of the strings 
hang down below the mouth ; 
fasten the hoop in with these ends 
before pasting the paper over it. 
It will be found next to impossible 
to tear the hoop from a balloon, 
strengthened in this manner, with- 
out totally destroying the balloon. 
Should you discover an open- 
ing at the top of your balloon, 
caused by the points not joining 
exactly, tie it up with a string if 
it be small, but if it be a large 
hole paste a piece of paper over it. When dry, take a fan and 
fan the balloon as full of air as you can, and while it is inflated 
make a thorough inspection of all sides to see that there are no 
accidental tears, holes or rips. 

Fig. 100 shows the cross wires that support the fire-ball. 
The latter is best made of old-fashioned lamp-wick wound,* 
rather loosely, in the form of a ball, the size depending upon 
the dimensions of the balloon. The sponge comm,orily used 




Top View of Hoop and Cross Wire. 



Wick-ball. 




Side View of Hoop showing Wick- 
ball hung In place. 



Fourth of yuly Balloons, 141 



soon burns out and the balloon comes down in a very little 
while ; but the wick-ball here described seldom fails to propel 
the little air-ship upward and onward out of sight. A short, 
fine wire should next be run quite through the wick-ball, so 
that it can be attached to the mouth of the balloon in an instant 
by hooking the ends of this wire over the cross wires at the 
mouth. 

If you use a little care you will have no difficulty in send-, 
ing up the balloon. Place your wick-ball in a pan Or dish, put 
the corked bottle of alcohol beside it, and about thirty feet away 
make a simple fire-place of bricks or stones, over wh^ch place a 
piece of stove-pipe. Fill the fire-place with shavings, twisted 
pieces of paper, or anything that will light readily and make; a 
good blaze. In a loop of string fastened at the top of the bal- 
loon for that purpose let one of the party put the end of a 
smooth stick, and, with the other end in his hand, mount sonjie 
elevated position and hold the balloon over the fire-place. Be- 
fore touching a match to the combustibles below, expand the 
balloon as much as possible b}h fanning it full of air '} then light 
the fire. Be very careful, in all the process that follo|vs, to hold 
the mouth of the balloon directly above and not tcio near the 
stove-pipe, to prevent the blaze from setting fire to the paper, 
which will easily ignite. At this stage of the proceedings one 
person must take the bottle of alcohol, uncork it, and p6ur 
the contents over the wick-ball in the basin, and the ball must 
be made tb' soak up all it will hold of the spirits. The balloon 
will become mofe and more buoyaii^^^ the air becomes heated 
inside, and at length, when disteh'd^d %W its utmost, it will be- 
gin puUing to free itself. HokJlM^«!lfe' hoop at the mouth, 
Wcilk to one side of the fire and #itn%l^^ have the ball at- 

tached securely in place. ToucH^a^Bght io it, and it will blaze 
up.' At the wofds *'* All right," let ^0.' IThe sarnie instant the 
stick iiiu'st be slid from the loop -on top, so- as not to tear 



142 



Summer. 



the paper, and away will sail the balloon upon its airjf 

voyage. 

Never attempt to send up a balloon upon a windy day, for 

the wind will be sure, sooner or later, to blow the blaze aside 

and set the paper on fire, and if once it catches up in the air 

there is not much use in trying to save it. 

After you have made a balloon like the one just described 

and sent it up successfully, you can try other shapes. A very 

good plan in experimenting is to make a small working model 

of light tissue-paper, fill it 
with cold air by means of an 
ordinary fan, and when it is 
expanded any defect in form 
or proportion can be readily 
detected and remedied. If 
it be too narrow, cut it open 
at one seam and put in an- 
other gore, or vice versa, un- 
til you are satisfied with the 
result ; with this as a pattern, 
construct your larger balloon. 
Such a model, eighteen inches 
high, lies upon the writer's 




Fig. lOi.^^Method of pasting Paper and 
Strings for Parachute. 



table. He has sent it up in the house several times by holding it 
a few moments over a burning gas-jet. The balloon rapidly fills 
with heated air, and when freed soars up to the ceiling, where 
it rolls along until the air cools, then falls gently to the floor. 

The parachute shown in the tail-piece is simply a square 
piece of paper with a string at each of the four corners, meeting' 
a short distance underneath, where a weight is attached. Fig. 
lOi shows how to make one that will not tear. It is made of 
two square pieces of paper. Two pieces of string are laid diag- 
onally across the first paper ; on top of this the second piece of 



Pourth of yuty Balloons. 



143 



i> 



paper is pasted, enclosing the strings without /T 
disturbing them ; the ends of the strings come 
out at the corners. 

These parachutes are attached to a wire 
that hangs from the balloon in this manner : 
From the centre and top of the parachute is h^ 

a string, we will say, a foot long ; this is tied 
securely to one end of the large fuse from a 
pack of Chinese fire-crackers ; a few inches 
from the other end of the fuse another string 
is tied and fastened to the wire. Just as the 
balloon starts the free end of the fuse is lighted 
(Fig. 102). When it has burned itself away 
past the point where the lower string has been 
fastened, it of course severs the connection 
between the parachute and the balloon, and 
the parachute drops, but does not go far, be- 
fore the air beneath spreads it out, the weight 
at the bottom balances it, and it floats away 
slowly, settling lower and lower, but often 
travelling miles before finally reaching the 
earth. 

All manner of objects may be attached to 
a parachute — notes addressed to possible find- 
ers,- letters, or figures of men or animals. The 
latter look very odd in the air. 

A real passenger balloon may be very 
closely imitated by painting crossed black lines 
upon the upper part of a paper balloon to rep- 
resent the net-work. A pasteboard balloon- 
car, made after the manner shown in Fig. 103, 
and holding two pasteboard men cut out as chute attach'ed"toTh0 
shown in Fig. 104, may be hung on by jhook- F^^e and Wire. 



144 



Summer. 




Fig. 103.— The Car. 



ing the wires attached to the- car over the hoop at the mouth 
of the balloon. When the balloon and car are a little distance 

up in the air, it takes a 
sharp eye to detect the 
deception, because dis- 
tance in the air cannot be 
easily judged. 

But so far we have 
dealt only with day bal- 
loons ; for night, you must 
attach some luminous ob- 
ject. 

A lantern made like 
the one described in 
** Kite-time " (Fig. 29) 
may be fastened to the balloon by a long string and wire, 
and when it goes swinging after vhe larger hght above, it has a 
curious appearance. In a similar manner, a long string of lan- 
terns may be hung on to a large balloon, or packs of Chinese 
crackers may be exploded 
in mid-air by means of a 
fuse. 

The writer has experi- 
mented in other fireworks, 
but found them very danger- 
ous to handle. Mr. Stall- 
knecht, of the Hat, Cap and 
Fur Trade Review^ how- 
ever, showed the author 
how to make a simple, safe, 

and beautiful pyrotechnic Fig. 104.— A Couple of Aeronauts. 

out of a Roman candle with colored balls, a piece of wire and a 
fuse. The fuse used can be bought in almost siny city or town ; 




Fourth of July Balloons. 145 




I^fifibt BaUooa. 



146 



Summer. 



It is sold to miners for setting off blasts. With the wire make 
a sort of wheel, with two or three spokes ; cut open the Roman 
candle and extract the powder and balls ; 
wrap up each ball with some of the powder 
loosely in a piece of tissue-paper and tie 
the paper at the ends upon the spokes or 
cross wires of the wheel, as shown in Fig. 
105. Run the fuse spirally around, pass- 
5ys§ ing through each parcel containing a ball, 
arid allow the long end of the fuse to 
trail down beneath from the centre or side 
(Fig. 106). To the rim of the wire wheel 
attach several wires of equal lengths with 
hooked ends ; hook these on to the hoop 
at the mouth of the balloon just before 
JJ letting it go, and light the trailing end 

P of the fuse. As the fire creeps slowly 

f iG. 105. along, the balloon mounts higher and 

higher. Suddenly the whole 
balloon glows with a ruddy, 
lurid glare. The fire has 
reached the first ball. In 
another instant you see a 
floating globe of pale green 
light, then blue, and so on, 
until all the balls are con- 
sumed. Showers of pretty, J 
jagged sparks are falling con- 
stantly during the illumina- 
tion, caused by the burning 

powder. By the time all is 

,1 ,. r ui. r ♦-r. FiG. 106.— Fireworks. 

over the tmy light of the 

soHtary ball in the balloon looks like a star in the sky above* 





Fourth of yuly Balloons. 



147 



travelling where the wind chooses to blow it. The most experi- 
enced aeronaut has but very little more command over the ac- 
tions of his immense silken air-ship than has the young amateur 
who builds his balloon of tissue-paper and sends it skyward 
with a ball of fire for its motive power. 




Through the Clouds. 



CHAPTER XVL 
HOW TO CAMP OUT WITHOUT A TENT. 

The next best thing to really living in the woods is talking 
over such an experience. A thousand Httle incidents," scarcely 
thought of at the time, crowd upon my mind, and bring back 
with them the feeling of freedom and adventure so dear to the 
heart of every boy. Shall I ever enjoy any flavor earth can 
afford as we did our coffee's aroma ? The flapjacks — how good 
and appetizing ! the fish — how delicate and sweet ! And the 
wonderful cottage of boughs, thatched with the tassels of the 
pine — was there ever a cottage out of a fairy tale that could 
compare with it ? 

In fancy I can see it now. There stands the little cot, 
flooded with the light of the setting sun ; those who built it and 
use it for a habitation are off exploring, hunting, fishing, and 
foraging for their evening meal, and the small, shy creatures of 
the wood take the opportunity to satisfy the curiosity with 
which they have, from a safe distance, viewed the erection of 
so large and singular a nest. 

The boys will soon return, each with his contribution to the 
larder — a fish, a squirrel, a bird, or a rabbit, which will be cooked 
and eat^n with better appetite and enjoyment than the most 
elaborate viands that home could afford. And although such 
joys are denied to me now, I can, at least, in remembering 
them, give others an opportunity to possess similar pleasures. 
It shall be my object to describe how these houses may be 
built and these dinners cooked, and that, too, where there are 



How to Camp Out without a Tent 149 




150 Summer. 



neither planks, nor nails, nor stoves. To boys well, informed 
in woodcraft, only a few hints need be given ; but for the 
benefit of amateurs we will go more into detail. 

Four persons make a good camping-party. Before arriving 
at their destination these persons should choose one of their 
number as captain. 

The captain gives directions and superintends the pitching 
of the tent or the building of the rustic cottage. The site for 
the camp should be upon a knoll, mound, or rising ground, so 
as to afford a good drainage. If the forest abounds in pine 
trees, the young cottage-builder's task is an easy one. It often 
happens that two or three trees already standing can be made 
to serve for the corners of the proposed edifice, though trees 
for corners are not absolutely necessary. 

Fig. 107 represents part of the framework of one of the 
simplest forms of rustic cottage. In this case, two trees serve 
for the two posts of the rear wall. The front posts are young 
trees that have been cut down and firmly planted at about four 
or five paces in front of the trees, as shown in the illustration. 
Enough of the branches have been left adhering to the trunks 
of the upright posts to serve as rests for the cross bars. To 
prevent complication in the diagram, the roof is not shown. 
To make this, fasten on an additional cross bar or two to the 
rear wall, then put a pole at each side, slanting down from the 
rear to the front, and cover these poles with cross sticks. 
When the framework is finished, the security and durability 
of the structure will be improved by fastening all the loose 
joints, tying them together with withes of willow, grass, or 
reeds. The next step is to cover the frame. This is done after 
the method shown in Fig. 108. From among some boughs, 
saved for this purpose, take one and hang it upon the third 
cross bar, counting from the ground up ; bring the bough down, 
passing it inside the second bar and resting the end on the 



How to Camp Out without a Tent, 151 



ground outside the first bar ; repeat this with other boughs un- 
til the row is finished. Then begin at the fourth bar, passing 
the boughs down inside the third and outside the second bar, 
so that they will overlap the first row. Continue in this man- 




FiG. 108.— The way to Thatch. 

ner until the four walls are closed in, leaving spaces open where 
windows or doors are wanted. The roof is thatched after the 
same method, beginning at the front and working upward and 
backward to the rear wall, each row overlapping the preceding 
row of thatch. The more closely and compactly you thatch 
the roof and walls, the better protection will they afford from 
any passing shower. This completed, the house is finished, 
and you will be astonished to see what a lovely little green cot 
you have built. 

A cottage may be built differing from the one we have just 
described by having the roof extended "so as to form a sort of 



152 • shimmer. 



verandah, or porch, in front ; the floor of the porch may be 
covered with a layer of pine-needles. Should you find your 
house too small to accommodate your party, you can, by erect- 
ing a duplicate cottage four or five paces at one side, and roof 
ing over the intervening space, have a house of two rooms with 
an open hall-way between. 

Before going to housekeeping, some furniture will be neces- 
sary ; and for this we propose to do our shopping right in the 
neighborhood of our cottage. Here is our cabinet and uphol- 
stery shop, in the wholesome fragrance of the pines. 

After the labor of building, your thoughts will naturally turn 
to a place for sleeping. Cut four forked sticks, sharpen the 
ends, and drive them firmly into the ground at the spot where 
you wish the bed to stand in your room. Two strong poles, 
long enough to reach lengthwise from fork to fork, will serve 
for side boards ; a number of short sticks will answer for slats ; 
after these are fastened in place you have the rustic bedstead 
shown in Fig. 109. A good spring mattress is very desir- 
able, and not difficult 
to obtain. Gather a 
lot of small green 
branches, or brush, 
and cover your bed' 
stead with a layer of 

Fig. 109 — ^Bedstead. •. 1 ^ r - 

it about one foot 
thick ; this you will find a capital substitute for springs. For 
your mattress proper, go to your upholstery shop under the 
pine tree and gather several armfuls of the dry pine-needles; 
cover the elastic brush springs with a thick layer of these 
needles ; over this spread your India-rubber blanket, with the 
rubber side under, so that any moisture or dampness there may 
be in your mattress may be prevented from coming through 
You may now make up your bed with what wraps or blan 





Fig. xio.— Bed made up. 



How to Camp Out without a Tent 153 

kets you have with you, and you have (Fig. i lO) as complete 
and comfortable a bed as any forester need wish for. In the 
place of pine-needles, hay or grass may be used. I have slept 

very comfortably __ ^. 

upon a brush mat- ^JjMSLiiS^^^ 

tress covered with 

iron-weed.* 

I would suggest 
to any boy who 
means to try this 
rustic cabinet-making, to select carefully for the bed^posts sticks 
strong enough to support the weight he intends them to bear, 
otherwise his slumbers may be interrupted in an abrupt and 
disagreeable manner. My first experiment in this line proved 
disastrous. I spent the greater part of one day in building and 
neatly finishing a bed like the one described. After it was 
made up, with an army blanket for a coverlid, it looked so soft, 
comfortable, and inviting that I scarcely could wait for bed- 
time to try it. 

When the evening meal was over and the last story told 
around the blazing camp-fire, I took off hat, coat, and boots 
and snuggled down in my new and original couch, curiously 
watched by my companions, who lay, rolled in their blankets, 
upon the hard ground. It does not take a boy long to fall 
asleep, particularly after a hard da5^'s work in the open air, but 
it takes longer, after being aroused from a sound nap, for him 
to get his wits together — especially when suddenly dumped 
upon the ground with a crash, amid a heap of broken sticks 
and dry brush, as I happened to be on that eventful night. 
Loud and long were the shouts of laughter of my companions 



* Iron-weed ; flat -top (Vernonia noveboracensis) ; a common Kentucky weed, 
with beautiful purple blossoms. 



154 



Summer. 



when they discovered my misfortune. Theoretically, the bed 
was well planned, but practically it was a failure, because it had 
rotten sticks for bed-posts. 

•Having provided bed and shelter, it is high time to look 
after the inner boy ; and while the foragers are off in search of 
provisions, it will be the cook's duty to provide some method 
of cooking the food that will be brought in. 

One of the simplest and most practical forms of bake-oven 
can be made of clay and an old barrel. Remove one head of 
the barrel, scoop out a space in the nearest bank, and fit the 
barrel in (Fig. iii). If the mud or clay is not damp enough. 




"^ 



:/^i!^P 



Fig. III. — Barrel in Bank. 

moisten it and plaster it over the barrel to the depth of a foot 
or more, leaving a place for a chimney at the back end, where 
part of a stave has been cut away ; around this place build a 
chimney of sticks arranged log-cabin fashion and plastered with 
mud (Fig. 112). After this, make a good, rousing fire in the 
barrel, and keep adding fuel until all the staves are burned out 
and the surrounding clay is baked hard. This makes an oven 



How to Camp Out without a Tent, 155 

that will bake as well, if not better, than any new patented 
stove or range at home. To use it, build a fire inside and let 
it burn until the oven is thoroughly heated, then rake out all 
the coal and embers, put your dinner in and close up the front 




Fig. 112.— Heating the Oven. 

with the head of the barrel preserved for this purpose. The 
clay will remain hot for several hours and keep the inside of 
the oven hot enough to roast meat or bake bread. 

If there be no bank convenient, or if you have no barrel 
with which to build this style of oven, there are other methods 
that will answer for all the cooking necessary to a party of boys 
camping out. Many rare fish have I eaten in my time. The 



156 



Summer. 



delicious pompano at New Orleans, the brook-trout and gray- 
ling, fresh from the cold water of Northern Michigan, but neve; 




Fig. 113.— a Stone Stove. 

have I had fish taste better than did a certain large cat-fish that 
we boys once caught on a set-line in Kentucky. We built a 
fire-place of flat stones, a picture of which you have in Fig. 
113, covered it with a thin piece of slate, cleaned the fish and 
with its skin still on, placed it upon the slate. When it was 
brown upon one side we turned it over until it was thoroughly 
cooked. With green sticks we lifted off the fish and placed it 

upon a piece of clean bark ; 

the skin adhered to the 

stone, and the meat came 
Fig. 114. — A Butter-Knife. cc ' 1 • 

off m smokmg, snowy 
pieces, which we ate with the aid of our pocket-knives and 
rustic forks made of small green twigs with the forked ends 
sharpened. 




How to Camp Out without a Tent. 157 




If stones cannot be had to answer for this stove, there still 
remains the old, primitive camp-fire and pot-hook. The very 
sight of this iron pot swing- 
ing over a blazing fire sug- 
gests soup, to eat which 
with any comfort spoons 
are necessary. These are 
quickly and easily made by 
thrusting clam or mussel 
shells into splits made in 
the ends of sticks. A 
splendid butter-knife can 
be made from the shell 
of a razor-oyster with a 
little care in a similar 

manner (see Fig. 1 14). Fig. 115.— Frame of Rustic Chair. 

If you stay any time in your forest home you can, by a lit- 
tle ingenuity, add many comforts and conveniences. I have 

drawn some diagrams, as 
hints, in this direction. For 
instance, Fig. 115 shows 
the manner of making an 
excellent rustic chair of two 
stout poles and two cross, 
poles, to which are fastened 
the ends of a piece of can- 
vas, carpet or leather (Fig. 
1 16), which, swinging loose, 
fits itself exactly to your 
form, making. a most com- 
fortable easy-chair in which 
to rest or take a nap after 
a hard day's tramp. It of- 




&^^. 



i'lG. 116.— The Rustic Chair Finished. 



158 



Summer 




^>"- 



ten happens that the peculiar formation of some stump oi 
branch suggests new styles of seats. A table can be very 
readily made by driving four forked sticks into the ground for 
legs, and covering the cross sticks upon the top with pieces of 
birch or other smooth bark. Fig. 117 shows a table made in 

this manner, with 
one piece of bark 
removed to reveal 
its construction. 

As a general 
rule, what is taught 
in boys' books, 
though correct in 
Fig. 117. -A Camp Table. theory, when tried 

proves impracticable. This brings to mind an incident that hap- 
pened to a party of young hunters camping out in Ohio. Early 
one morning one of the boys procured from a distant farm-house 
a dozen pretty little white bantam eggs. Having no game, and 
only one small fish in the way of fresh meat, the party congrat- 
ulated themselves upon the elegant breakfast they would make 
of fresh eggs, toasted crackers, and coffee. How to cook the 
eggs was the question. One of the party proposed his plan. 

*' I have just read a book," said he, *' which tells how some 
travellers cooked fowls and fish by rolling them up in clay and 
tossing them into the fire. Shall we try that plan with the eggs ? " 

The rest of the party assented, and soon all were busy roll- 
ing rather large balls of blue clay, in the centre of each of which 
was an ^%%. A dozen were placed in the midst of the hottest 
embers, and the boys seated themselves around the fire, impa- 
tiently waiting for the eggs to cook. They did cook — with a 
vengeance ! Zip, bang ! went one, then another and another, 
until, in less time than it takes to tell it, not an ^^^ remained 
unexploded ; and the hot embers and bits of clay that stuck to 



How to Camp Out without a Tent, 159 

the boys' hair and clothes were all that was left to remind them 
of those nice, fresh bantam eggs. It was all very funny, but 
ever after the boys of that party showed the greatest caution in 
trying new schemes, no matter how well they might seem to be 
endorsed. 

Hints to Amateur Campers. 
From time immemorial it has been the custom of the city 
fellows to laugh at their country cousins, and to poke all man- 
ner of fun at them on account of their verdancy in regard to 
city manners and customs. This is hardly fair, for if a real 
city fellow be placed on a farm, or in the woods, his ignorance 
is just as laughable and absurd. It was only the other day I 
saw a young New York artist refuse to drink from a spring 
because something was bubbling up at the bottom. Experience 
is a great teacher. Even the artist just mentioned, after mak- 
ing himself sick upon stagnant water, would, no doubt, learn to 
select bubbling springs in the future. A few timely hints may, 
however, prevent many mishaps and unpleasant accidents. 

Provisions. 
It is always desirable to take as large a stock of provisions 
as can be conveniently transported. In these days of canned 
meats, soups, vegetables, and fruits, a large amount of provi' 
sions may be stored in a small space. Do not fail to take a 
plentiful supply of salt, pepper, and sugar ; also bacon, flour, 
meal, grits, or hominy, tea, coffee, and condensed milk. If 
you have a;iy sort of luck with your rod, gun, or traps, the 
forest and stream ought to supply fresh meat, and with the appe- 
tite only enjoyed by people who live out doors you can **live 
like a king." 

Shelter. 

Because I have described but one sort of shelter my read- 
ers must not suppose that it is absolutely necessary to build a 



i6o ' Summer. 



cottage like the one described. On the contrary, there are a 
thousand different plans that will suggest themselves to fellows 
who are accustomed to camping out. The huts, or sheds, built 
of ** slabs " by some of the Adirondack hunters are very con- 
venient, but unless the open ends are protected, in time of a 
storm, the rain is apt to. drive in and soak the inmates. The 
two sheds face each other, and in the middle of the space be- 
tween the camp-fire blazes, throwing a ruddy light at night 
into both compartments. 

By taking advantage of a rock, a fallen or uprooted tree, 
the work of building a hut is ofttimes materially lessened. 

Tents, of course, are very handy and comfortable, and if 
obtainable should by all means be used. At least one or two 
good sharp hatchets should form a part of the equipment of 
every camp ; it is astonishing, with their aid and a little prac- 
tice, what a comfortable house may be built in a very short time. 

Choosing Companions. 

Never join a camping party that has among its members 
a single peevish, irritable, or selfish person, or a "shirk." 
Although the company of such a boy may be only slightly an- 
noying at school or upon the play-ground, in camp the com* 
panionship of a fellow of this description becomes unbearable. 
Even if the game fill the woods and the waters are alive with 
fish, an irritable or selfish companion will spoil all the fun and 
take the sunshine out of the brightest day. The whole party 
should be composed of fellows who are willing to take things 
as they come and make the best of everything. With such 
companions there is no such thing as ''bad luck ; " rain or shine 
everything is always jolly, and when you return from the 
woods, strengthened in mind and body, you will always remem 
ber with pleasure your camping experience. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



BIRD SINGERS, ETC. 

Very many amusing contrivances can be made of the most 
simple materials. I have seen boys pluck a blade of grass, and, 
by simply stretching it edgewise between their thumbs, make 
a musical instrument with which they could imi- 
tate the notes of a singing bird so closely as to 
perfectly deceive persons not in the secret. After 
placing the blade of grass, as shown by the illus- 
tration, put your lips to your thumbs at the hol- 
low between the joints and blow. The result will 
be a shrill noise which, with very little practice, can be made to 
resemble the notes of different wild birds. 




The Block Bird Singer. 

The illustration (Fig. Ii8) shows an Instrument made upon 
the same principle as the ** bird singer " just described. The 
*' block bird singer " consists of two blocks 
of pine small enough to fit between the front 
teeth of the operator. The blocks are hol- 
lowed out in the middle, as shown by A, 
Fig. Ii8. 

Stretch a blade of grass across the hollow 
of one of the blocks and place the other 
block on top of it, as shown by B, Fig. Ii8. 
Place the blocks between your teeth, and by drawing in 
and expelling your breath you can produce a series of shrilt 




Fig. II 



II 



1 62 ' Summer. 



noises which, with practice, may be made to imitate the notes 
of a singing bird. A thin strip of writing-paper may be sub- 
stituted for the blade of grass where the latter is hard to 
procure. 

The Corn-stalk Fiddle. 

The writing of the above title has sent me back to my boy- 
hood with one great leap over the intervening years. In imag- 
ination I am again a barefooted youngster, with straw hat, 
short pants, and checked apron. Again I can experience the 
feeling of pride and importance as from my pocket comes the 
well-remembered jack-knife, with a great shining blade that 




Fig. 119. — Cornstalk Fiddle. 

opens, like any jnan's knife, with a snap ! If I were this moment 
placed in a particular barn-yard in company with my reader, I 
could take him to the exact spot where a pile of corn-stalks 
used always to be heaped up in the corner of the fence. Let 
us suppose we are there. Select a good straight corn-stalk, 
and with the "shiny" blade of the jack-knife cut four slits 
from joint to joint, as shown by the top diagram, Fig. 119. 
Now out of that chip at your feet make a wooden bridge like 
the one shown by A, Fig. 119. With the point of the jack- 
knife lift up the three strings of the fiddle and slide the bridge 
under them edgewise ; then gently, but firmly, raise it to an 
upright position and spread the strings apart, allowing them 
to fit into the notches cut for the purpose in the bridge (see 
lower diagram. Fig. 119). Make the bow of a smaller corn- 
stalk than that used for the fiddle. No tune can be played 



Bird Singers^ Etc, 



*63 



upon this instrument, but a funny squeaking noise can be pro- 
duced. 

The squeak of the corn-stalk fiddle brings to my mind 
another rustic instrument. 

The Pumpkin-vine Fife. 
Cut a good thick, straight pumpkin-stem and make holes in 
it like those in a fife. If you know how to blow on a fife you 
may not only produce a noise with the pumpkin- <^' fixArorvrvfj^ 
stem, but a tune may be played upon this simple \\^ I ^* 
instrument which, even if only partially successful, ^ 
will amuse your hearers to that degree that you 
will feel yourself amply repaid for the trouble. 

A Pumpkin-vine Flute. 

Cut off a long leaf-stem like the one shown in 
the illustration (Fig. 120). With the blade of your 
knife make a slit (A, B) through both sides of the 
stem. Then at the base of the leaf, in the solid 
part just beyond the end of the hollow in the stem, 
cut off the stem at C, D. By putting this end in 
the mouth and blowing, a noise will be produced, 
deep and sonorous, sounding like a distant steam- 
boat's whistle. Holes may be cut for the fingers 
similar to those just described for the fife. 

If one stem fails to work, cut another and try 

it until you succeed. The pumpkin-vine flute, 

like the corn-stalk fiddle, will amuse small boys, 

but if my reader does not belong to that class he 

may make of a piece of fishing-cane a first-rate 

fife. 

Cane Fife. 

The fishing-pole being much harder material than the succu- 
lent pumpkin-vine stem, is proportionally more difficult to cut. 



Fig. 120. — A 
Pumpkin - vine 
Flute. 



164 Summer, 



If you can, borrow a real fife ; select a piece of cane of about the 
same size, and cut the holes in one side of the cane, at the same 
distance apart as those in the real fife. Any hollow stick of 
the proper size will answer as a substitute for the piece of fish- 
ing-pole. 

The Voice Disguiser 

is made of a piece of corn-stalk about three inches long. After 

removing the pith cut a notch near each end, as shown in the 

illustration, upon opposite sides of the corn-stalk ; upon the 

^ ends stretch a piece of fish-bladder, 

( Lj^^^ ^^/ / °^ ^"^ ^^^^^ membrane ; a piece 

of thin tracing-paper will answer. 
With a large pin make a hole in 
each piece of membrane, as shown 
at A in the illustration. Now cover 
the notch, cut into the corn-stalk, 
isguiser. yN\\.\\ your mouth and laugh ; the 

noise you produce will set you laughing in earnest. By placing 
your mouth over either of the notches and talking or singing, 
the voice is so changed as to be perfectly disguised, and if you 
sing a song through this instrument it sounds like some one 
playing on a comb covered with paper. The voice disguiser is 
very handy in Punch and Judy or puppet shows. 

The Locust Singer. 

This little instrument, simple as.it is, is calculated to afford 
considerable amusement. 

With one of these toys can be made not only a loud noise, 
which in itself pleases most boys, but it reproduces exactly the 
sound oi \ki^ cicada, or "locust," as the harvest-fly is commonly 
but improperly called. The ** locust singer," as may be seen 
by reference to the illustration, consists of a horse-hair with a 




Bird Singers.) Etc. 



i'6 




The Locust Sineer. 



1 66 Summer. 



loop at one end and a weight attached to the other end. h 
pine stick, with a groove cut around it near the top, is thrust 
through the loop of horse-hair, and the groove in the stick 
thickly covered with powdered rosin. 

When the weight is swung rapidly around, the horse-hair, 
in sliding over the rosined stick, produces a noise which closely 
resembles the well-known song of the harvest-fly. If a tin pill- 
box is used for a weight and the hair run through a hole in the 
lid and fastened by a knot upon the inside, the lid of the box 
acts as a sort of sounding-board. A piece of parchment of 
paper is sometimes pasted over the box tightly, like a drum 
head, and the hair attached to this ; but a little stone wrapped 
in a piece of cloth answers every purpose. 

A piece of kid, from a discarded glove, tied tightly over the 
top of a bottle-head, makes a loud-voiced locust singer. The 
head of the bottle may easily be removed, by striking repeated 
blows with a case-knife on the neck of the bottle, at the desired 
point of separation. 

The Hummer. 

This is somewhat similar to the toy just described, but even 
inore simple in construction. It consists of a piece of shingle 
about an inch and one-half wide and five or six inches long, 
with a string attached to one end. When the hummer is swung 
ground the head it makes a loud, buzzing noise. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

BIRD NESTING. 
How to Collect and Preserve Eggs. 

As regular as the seasons, is the flight of our feathered sum- 
mer visitors ; and their wonderful little nests can be found, by 
those who choose to look for them, in all manner of situations — 
in the grass, in the shrubs, in the trees, on the barren moor, on 
the face of the rocky cliff, in the sand banks, high up in the 
church steeple, under the low, overhanging eaves of the farm- 
house or among the rafters of the hay-loft. Even the 
very chimneys of the dwellings are invaded by birds in search 
of a safe retreat where they can rear their little famihes undis- 
turbed. Professor Rennie, in speaking of' the apparent me- 
chanical knowledge displayed by birds in the construction of their 
nests, says i '* This work is the business of their lives — the duty 
which calls forth that wonderful ingenuity which no experience 
can teach and which no human skill can rival. The infinite va- 
riety of modes in which nests of birds are constructed, and the 
exquisite adaptation of the nests to the peculiar habits of the 
individual, offer a subject of almost exhaustless interest." I trust 
not one of my readers belong to that class of boys who wan- 
tonly destroy and pillage birds' nests, for which offence against 
good taste and good sense it is hard to find language strong 
enough to use in condemnation. Nor is it proper to start a 
collection of birds' eggs as the fancy seizes you, to amuse 
yourself for a time, afterward allowing the eggs to become 
broken and forgotten. If you really wish to. make a collection 
of eggs for the purpose of study, there is no harm in taking a 



1 68 ' Summer . 



few nests and eggs for your cabinet. There are clauses in the 
game laws of most, if not all, of the States, which grant excep 
tional privileges to collectors for scientific purposes. 

Eggs should be "blown," or emptied of their contents, as 
soon as collected, the empty shells being much less liable to break 
than the unblown ^%^. To blow eggs you should have an egg- 
drill and blow-pipe, but if such instruments are out of your 
reach a pin will answer for a drill and your lips for the blow-pipe. 
Make a very small hole in each end of the ^%gy and taking it 
gently between the thumb and forefinger, place one hole to the 
lips ; then blow, not too hard, but steadily, until the contents 
come out of the hole at the other end. 

The use of the blow-pipe and drill not only simplifies the 
operation and lessens the chances of breaking the eggs, but it 
also makes much neater specimens. Hold the ^g^ firmly, but 
gently, with its ends between the thumb and forefinger of the 
left hand. Apply the point of the drill to the middle of one 
side, and, by imparting a twirling motion to the instrument, 
drill a hole in the egg-shell, filing away the shell gradually until 
the opening is large enough to admit the end of the blow-pipe, 
which should fit in the hole loosely, so that when the ^^^ is 
*' blown" the contents of the shell may escape around the end 
of the pipe. Hold the ^^^ in the left hand, with the hole down- 
ward ; insert the small end of the blow-pipe into the hole just 
drilled. It is often a good plan to force water into the shell 
through the blow-pipe, and after all the contents have been 
ejected to thoroughly rinse out the shell. 

The drying is an important part of the proceeding ; for this 
purpose the ^^^ is usually placed in sand, bran or meal. Some 
authorities claim that this is wrong, as the substances are apt 
to cake around the hole, where they become damp from the 
moisture absorbed. I have often found it difficult to remove 
the caked meal without injuring the shell. A recent writer 



Bird Nesting. 169 



suggests setting the eggs, hole downward, upon a piece of blot- 
ting-paper or a soft cloth. The paper or cloth not only absorbs 
the moisture without sticking to the shell, but, being soft and 
yielding, the eggs may be rolled about with no fear of breaking, 
and they may be dried in this manner thoroughly, without 
rubbing off the color or destroying the *'blooni" peculiar to 
nicely preserved specimens. 

A cabinet of eggs is not only an interesting object, but if the 
owner has collected them himself, he must necessarily acquire 
an amount of scientific knowledge that v/ill not only at once make 
him an authority upon ornithology, even among learned men, 
but at the same time put him ahead of all the boys in wood-craft. 

Eggs may be kept in boxes filled with bran or cotton, or 
they may be gummed on cards and the name of the bird and 
date of the collection written underneath ; but probably the 
best way is to keep them in a chest of shallow drawers made 
for the purpose. 

As soon as an ^^^ is collected, number it with a lead pencil, 
and under a duplicate figure in a note-book write the number 
of eggs that were in the nest, the date of the collection, name 
or supposed name of the bird, with any and all other remarks 
of interest. 

Birds' Nests. 

A collection of nests makes an ornamental and interesting 
addition to a cabinet, and some very curious nests may be found. 
The two-story nest of the summer yellowbird is always an ad- 
dition, especially if both compartments contain eggs. 

The summer yellowbirds, though confiding little creatures, 
are not readily duped or imposed upon. Their instinct is sufifi- 
ciently near reason for them to detect the difference between 
their own little fragile, prettily marked, greenish-colored eggs 
and the great dark-colored ones the vagabond cow blackbird 
has surreptitiously srtiuggled into the cosey nest. The domestic 



170 Summer, 



little couple ding to the spot selected for their house and will 
not leave it ; neither will they hatch the obnoxious eggs, which 
they are apparently unable to throw out ; but the difficulty is 
soon surmounted, and so are the gratuitous eggs, for the yel- 
lowbirds proceed at once to cover up the cow blackbird's eggs, 
constructing a new nest on top of the old one, building a sec- 
ond story to their house. 

Last summer Mr. Lang Gibson brought me one of these 
two-story nests which he found at Flushing, L. L ; the lower 
nest contained two cow blackbird's eggs, and the upper one 
three eggs of the summer yellowbird. Gibson watched the 
construction of the nest. Visiting it again after it was finished, 
he discovered the ^^% of a cow blackbird. Next day two of 
these eggs occupied the nest. Some time afterward, to his 
surprise, he found the nest contained three eggs of the yellow- 
bird and no signs of the existence of those deposited by the 
blackbird, but the nest had the appearance of being much taller 
than at first, and an examination disclosed it to be a two -story 
nest, the lower compartment containing two cow-birds' eggs, 
and the upper part three yellowbirds' eggs. Since writing the 
above, the same young collector presented me with another 
double nest. This time both nests were inhabited and con- 
tained eggs ; the lower story is a meadow wren's nest with an 
entrance on one side, and the upper one is the nest of the red- 
winged or swamp blackbird. The eggs in both compartments 
were warm when discovered, which proves that they were fresh 
and that ilie old birds had not long been absent. 

Preserving Nests. 

Nests made of woollen fibres must be dusted with fine to- 
bacco, snuff, or camphor, to keep the moths out. Nests made 
of sticks, straws, etc. , will not be attacked by insects, and need 
no preparation to preserve them. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

HOW TO REAR WILD BIRDS. 

Robins, Thrushes, Wrens, and other Small Birds. 

Learn the habits of any creature, and give it a chance to 
follow theniy and you will find but little difficulty in keeping 
it healthy in confinement. 

It is a mistake to suppose that it is a sin to keep wild birds 
in confinement ; for when their wants are understood and 
attended to with any degree of care, the little creatures soon 
learn to love their cage, and will, more than likely, return to it 
of their own free will, if by accident or design they are set at 
liberty. When you hear it said that it is impossible to domes- 
ticate this or that bird, remember that the staid old barn-yard 
fowl is descended from a bird as wild and shy as any that inhab- 
its the far Western forests. You need not hesitate to attempt 
to rear and tame any bird that runs or flies, provided that 
you are thoroughly acquainted with its habits when in a wild 
state. 

Care should be taken to observe the food with which the 
parent birds feed their young, and if the natural food is diffi- 
cult to obtain, a healthy substitute can often be discovered by 
experiment. Do not try, however, to force a young bird to 
eat that which appears distasteful to it, nor must it be forced to 
eat when not hungry. The feathered babies, as a rule, are very 
greedy, and will open wide their mouths as soon as they hear 
any one approach, so that it is only necessary to drop the food 
Ipetween the widespread bills as often as they are opened. 



172 Summer, 



Squabs. 

Doves and pigeons, when young, do not open their mouths 
like other birds, but they will keep their bills firmly closed 
and run them between your fingers, flapping their wings and 
making a whistling noise. 

To feed a squab, its mouth must be opened by taking the 
sides of the bill between the thumb and forefinger of the left 
hand, and gently pinching it at the base until the mouth opens ; 
then push an oblong pellet of bread softened with milk be- 
tween the mandibles. You will always be successful in rearing 
squabs in this manner. Bread softened with sweet milk, or 
boiled potatoes mixed with eggs, is a healthy diet for many 
young birds. 

The prepared food sold at bird-stores under the name of 
mocking-bird food I have discovered to be almost universally 
relished by insectivorous birds after they are old enough to 
feed themselves. As soon as a young bird can hop around, 
supply it with plenty of water to bathe in, at least once or twice 
a day ; if you keep your pet's surroundings neat,' the bird will 
not fail to keep its little person tidy and trim. The ground or 
grass finch will not bathe in water, but performs his ablutions 
in dust or fine sand, and a supply of sand should be provided. 

The Cow Blackbird. 

There is often a third party interested in the construction 
of all small birds' nests — a homeless, happy-go-lucky Bohemian 
bird, who has a sort of tramp's interest in the housekeeping 
arrangements of most of the smaller feathered denizens of 
copse and wood. This is the well-known cow blackbird, who 
disdains to shackle her freedom with the care of a family, and 
shifts a mother's responsibility by farming her progeny out, 
while she seeks the incongruous but apparently congenial com- 



How to Rear IVtTd Birds. 173 

panionship of the cattle, with whom she appears to be on the 
most intimate terms. 

The cow-bird deposits its eggs indiscriminately among the 
nests of smaller birds. The blackbird's eggs generally hatch 
out a day or two before the adopted mother's own eggs, so 
when the legitimate members of the family do come, it is to 
find their nest already occupied by the strong, lusty interlopers, 
who, on account of their superior size and strength, come in 
for the lion's share of all the food brought to the nest. Thus 
the innocent parents rear the aliens, while their own young 
starve. It is really a pitiable sight to see a couple of little 
greenlets anxiously searching from daybreak till evening for 
food to fill the capacious crop of one or more young cow black- 
birds considerably larger than the greenlets themselves. 

As might be expected, the young cow-bird is an inveterate 
gormandizer, and you cannot supply it with enough food to 
stop its cries for more. True to its instinct, when its craw is 
crammed to its utmost extent, the young pauper will still cry 
for more and open wide its mouth, for fear its foster brothers and 
sisters should receive some share of the food. The blackbird 
wastes all it cannot eat, deliberately throwing the food away by 
a sudden jerk of the head. 

"Wrens, Sparrows, and Finches. 

Feed young wrens, sparrows, and finches upon chopped 
worms and the soft parts of grasshoppers. As soon as their 
bills become hard enough the finches and sparrows may be fed 
upon bird seed that can be procured at any bird store. 

The Bobolink. 

Feed young bobolinks upon the soft parts of grasshoppers, 
and as they grow older and become inclined to corpulency, do 
not let them have too much to eat, or they will kill themselves. 



174 Summer, 



The Catbird. 

The catbird resembles the mocking-bird so closely in its 
habits that it may be reared upon exactly the same food. I 
have made several successful attempts at rearing catbirds, and 
find them amusing and lively pets. One bird, that bore the 
name of ** Greedy," would when called fly from the top of the 
tallest tree and alight upon my head or shoulder. The catbird 
will attempt to mimic almost every sound it hears. There is 
at present a couple of these birds which have a nest near my 
window. Here they build year after year, they have become 
quite tame, and the male bird has learned the first two notes 
of a bugle-call ; it is very amusing to hear him struggle to 
master the rest of the call. When I whistle it to him, he sits on 
his favorite perch, a low limb of a peach-tree, and holding his 
head to one side, patiently waits until the call is finished ; then 
filling his lungs, he gives the first two notes with remarkable 
clearness, hesitates a moment as if undecided what to do next, 
and ends in a wild burst of song. Often the bird will practise 
in a low key for ten minutes at a time, but as soon as he sees 
that he is observed he will commence the scolding cat-cry from 
which these birds derive their name. The catbird or black- 
capped thrush requires a large cage and plenty of water for 
bathing purposes. A food preparation, published first, I think, 
in Harper s Bazar, consists of two-fifths pounded cracker, 
two-fifths oatmeal, and one-fifth hard-boiled ^^% ; to be 
thoroughly mixed with equal proportions of milk and water 
until it is of the consistency of fresh bread. 

Robins 

are as easily domesticated as the catbird, and can be fed upon 
almost the same food. Fruit in season is always relished by 
Bob, and he will kill himself eating it if the quantity is not re- 



How to Rear Wild Birds, 175 

strlcted. A robin that the writer once owned would eat a large 
slice of watermelon down to the green rind in a single day. 
Feed the young birds upon the soft parts of the grasshopper, 
white grub worms, and chopped angle-worms, or if such food 
cannot be obtained, use the yolk of hard-boiled eggs mixed 
with stale wheat bread made into a paste with a little milk or 
water. When the bird grows older the following preparation 
may be given : One-third stale wheat bread well soaked in 
water and pressed, one-third dry grated carrot, one-sixth of 
hard-boiled ^%%, and one-sixth of bruised hemp-seed. Mix 
well into a paste. 

Robins vvill acquire a taste for many dishes which in their 
wild state they could never have eaten. One bird described 
by a writer in the Science News became very fond of hot 
doughnuts and other equally strange diet. 

The Brown Thrush, or Thrasher. 

Every country boy is familiar with " the long-tailed thrush," 
as they call this bird, and all of them know what a graceful bird 
he is, while, strange to say, but few know that he is an excel- 
lent song bird, little inferior to the mocking-bird in that re- 
spect. The brown thrush makes a good cage bird, and can be 
reared and kept upon the sr.me food as that just described for 
the robin ; their nests are generally found in low bushes among 
the thickets skirting cultivated ground. 

The Wood Thrush 

is of a bright brown upon the back, with a light speckled 
breast and a much shorter tail than the thrasher. Why 
this bird is called the wood thrush, is a question ; around Flush- 
ing, L. I., it is seldom, if ever, seen in the woods proper, but in 
the ornamental trees on the lawns and the shade trees in the 



176 Summer, 



streets of the village this bird makes his home. His song, 
though rich and full, is short. The wood thrush is easily kept 
in captivity, and makes a valuable addition to an aviary. The 
young may be reared upon the same food as that described for 
the catbird. 

Bluebirds 

are pretty little creatures, making their appearance in the early 
spring. They build their nests in hollow trees, knot-holes, 
or bird-houses erected for that purpose, and have been known 
to build in a dove-cot, but since the introduction of that 
noisy little street gamin, the English sparrow, the bluebirds 
have mostly deserted the immediate neighborhood of the 
dwellings, and may be found in the orchards and other safe re- 
treats. The bluebird makes an excellent pet, is of a lovable 
disposition, and will not associate with other birds except of 
its own kind. 

Use about the same food as that described for robins. . 

The Summer Yellowbird. 

While the expanding leaves of tree and shrub retam the 
tender tints of pink, and the broad lily-pads commence to 
mosaic the surface of the ponds with green, in perfect harmony 
with the bursting bud and opening flower comes the summer 
yellowbird, and from hedge and bush may be heard his song, 
as simple and pleasing as the tasteful but modest plumage that 
covers his little person. Almost immediately after the first ap- 
pearance of these industrious little birds they commence their 
preparations for housekeeping. The male bird flies busily 
about selecting such material as feathers, plants, fibres, the 
furze from ferns, the catkins from willows, and other similar 
objects, all of which he brings to his mate, who arranges and 
fashions their delicate nest. So quickly and deftly does this little 



How to Rear Wild Birds, 177 

couple labor that they build the greater part of their house in 
a single day. 

The author has never attempted to rear the summer yellow- 
bird, nor has he ever seen one in confinement ; but there is no 
reason why this beautiful warbler should not make as good a 
cage-bird as any other feathered songster. You may feed the 
young upon the soft parts of grasshoppers and soft grubs. This 
much can be learned by watching the parent birds attending to 
the wants of their tiny offspring. 

The Bluejay 

is a noisy, showy bird of brilliant plumage, with a pretty crest 
upon its head ; the bill is black ; the back and wings different 
shades of blue, with black stripes ; throat, cheeks, and breast 
light gray ; a black ring around his neck extends like a collar 
down to his chest. 

Although the jay is no musician he is an excellent mimic, 
and can be taught to crow like a cock, bark like a dog, and to 
whistle a tune ; he is a large, handsome bird, and looks well in a 
cage. The only young one the writer ever had was one that had 
just left its nest. It was caught in an orchard, and thrived 
upon grubs and worms of all sorts. Either the food described 
for the robin or the catbird ought to answer also for the blue- 
jay; an occasional spoonful of raw egg is relished by a young jay. 

Want of space will prevent the enumeration of all the feath- 
ered creatures that make their home in our forests and orchards ; 
but this chapter will be incomplete if it contains no mention 
of that most lovely of all American birds, the little feathered 
mite called a 

Humming- Bird. 

Even if captured when full grown, this delicate little crea 
tnre can be tamed in a remarkably short time. 

12 



1 78 . Summer. 



Although the writer has been fortunate enough to find several 
little bunches of the cotton-like substance which forms the nest 
of the humming-bird, he has captured but one young bird ; 
that one was discovered disconsolately peeping as it sat upon a 
smooth stone in the middle of a Kentucky stream. Upon the 
overhanging branch of a but.on-wood tree there was a little 
lump which was at once recognized as a humming-bird's nest, 
but so closely did it approach the branch in texture and color, 
that it migh^ have been passed by unobserved had it not been 
for the otherwise unaccountable appearance of the little feath- 
ered midget upon the stone directly under it. The young bird, 
when picked up, did not offer to fly, but opened its long, slen- 
der bill and made a peeping noise, eagerly swallowing some 
little insects that were put into its mouth. It was not long be- 
fore the parent birds commenced buzzing around the author's 
head like enraged bumble-bees ; they even flew against his 
face, nor did they leave him until he had set their offspring free. 
A writer in Chambers's Journal upon this subject says : 
*' It was long thought that humming-birds would not live 
in confinement; and this idea is so far correct that, although 
easily tamed, they will not live long in captivity if fed only 
on syrup. If confined to this food they die in a month or two, 
apparently starved ; whereas, if kept in a small room, the win- 
dows of which are covered with fine net, so as to allow insects 
to enter, they may be preserved for a considerable time in 
health and beauty. Their nests are very curious ; many of 
them are cup-shaped and very small, sometimes no larger than 
the half of a walnut shell ; and they are often beautifully deco- 
rated on the outside with lichens, so as exactly to resemble the 
branch in the fork of which they are placed. They are formed 
of cottony substances, and are lined inside with fibres as fine 
and soft as silk. The nests of other species are hammock- 
shaped, and are suspended to creepers ; the Pichincha hum- 



How to Rear Wild Birds. 



179 



ming-bird has been known to attach its nest to a straw-rope 
hanging in a shed ; their eggs are white, and they never lay- 
more than one or two. Once, when on the Amazon, Mr. 
Wallace had a nest of young humming-birds brought to him, 
which he tried to feed on syrup, supposing that they would be 
fed on honey by their parents. To his surprise, however, they 
not only would not swallow the liquid, but nearly choked them- 
selves in their efforts to eject it. He then caught some very 
small flies, and dropped one into the wide open mouth of the 
poor little orphan humming-bird ; it closed instantly with a 
satisfied gulp, and opened again for more. The little creatures, 
he found, demanded fifteen or twenty flies each in succession 
before they were satisfied ; and the process of feeding and fly- 
catching together required so much time that he was reluctantly 
compelled to abandon them to their fate." 

The Illustration has been drawn by the writer from a com- 
pound yellowbird's nest. The upper story or nest is partly 
lifted so as to show the cow blackbird's eggs in the nest below. 




CHAPTER XX. 



HOW TO REAR WILD BIRDS— Continued. 



The Crov?, Hawk, and other Large Birds. 

A FUZZY topknot sur- 
mounting a head too 
heavy for the slender neck 
to hold upright ; large, 
protruding eyes protect- 
ed by lids that are tightly 
gummed together ; a blu- 
ish black skin, with no 
feathers to hide the wrin- 
kles ; a large paunch like 
an alderman. Such is the 
appearance of a very 
young crow ; and after a 
glance at the accompany- 

•' I want my Ma!" -^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ 

nature, the reader will no doubt agree with the writer in calling 
it the worst looking ** baby in the woods," and if mischief be 
a sign of badness, then "Jim Crow " does not belie his looks. 
He is especially comical when his great blood-red mouth is 
expanded to its utmost dimension in expectancy as he awaits 
a morsel of food. 

Of all our native birds the crow is probably the hardiest, 
and the least trouble to bring up by hand. Almost any kind 




How to Rear Wild Birds. i8i 

of soft food, bread and milk, corn meal mush, grub worms, raw 
lean meat, or raw liver is devoured with relish by the black 
baby ; any of the foodsdescribed in the preceding chapter may 
be fed to the crow. As soon as he is able to walk *' Jim " will 
begin to learn to eat without help. The feathers will by this 
time have grown, covering the body with a suit of glossy black, 
which gives the bird a very genteel and respectable appearance. 
The crow ought never to be confined in a cage, but allowed to 
wander around at will. 

The first crow that came into the author's possession had 
scarcely escaped from its egg-shell prison before it was taken 
from the cradle of rough sticks that the parent birds had built 
near the top of a pine tree. 

The bird was christened Billy, and from morn until night 
the neighbors could hear him as he loudly clamored for food. 
Before school-time in the morning an ^g'g was broken and the 
contents of the shell dropped into William's great red mouth ; 
with a gobbling noise the &^'g would be swallowed ; then as if sat- 
isfied for the present he would settle down for a nap. During the 
noonday recess, Billy, with his red mouth wide open, was always 
loudly calling for his noontime meal, which consisted of the 
s^ame material as his breakfast and supper. Three eggs a day 
kept the little black rascal fat and healthy, and it was not long 
before the naked httle body was covered with a coating of 
glossy black feathers, and Billy, abandoning the old basket 
which had served him for a nest, now awaited his master's return 
from school, perched upon the iron raiHng fence of the front yard. 
From eggs to fresh liver was an easy step, and one that the bird 
gladly took. Corn he never ate unless it was in the form of 
*' Johnny-cake " or mush; stale meat was his detestation; in 
fact, a cleaner or more dainty bird in regard to his food was never 
reared. Billy was not long in making a name and reputation 
for himself; a more affectionate and mischievous imp never 



1 82 



Summer, 



wore a coat of black or buried silver thimbles in a flower bed 
Although his pranks were often very annoying, they were always 
amusing, and no one ever thought the less of the bird for stealing 
all the fish from the miniature pond, nor did his master's anger, 
though great, cause him to administer severe punishment to the 
black culprit when he discovered the hsh all neatly stowed away 
under the shingles of the rabbit house. When the young rab- 
bits were discovered nicely pressed between the leaves of some 
books of travel just purchased, the gentleman to whom the books 
belonged declared war. He went to the lawn to search for 
Billy, and the bird flew to him, and, alighting upon his shoulder 
in the most fearless and confident manner, commenced a long 
explanation of his misdeeds in the crow language. What he 
said was unintelligible ; but the gentleman's anger was not only 
mollified but changed to mirth, for he came back to the house 
laughing heartily. Billy, still perching upon his shoulders, 
seemingly enjoyed the situation. 

Since the writer's first experiment he has brought up several 
other crows successfully upon a diet 
l/itt of fresh meat, bread and milk, and 
'^' boiled potatoes mixed with eggs. 

The Hawk. 

Naturally possessed of a wild, 
fierce nature, loving the open air and 
the wide, blue sky, the hawk is a 
born freebooter ; but wild and fierce 
as he is, he may nevertheless be perfectly tamed if taken from 
the nest when quite young. 

After you have obtained a young hawk, make it a rule 
to always feed it yourself and never allow any one else to do 
so. Give a peculiar whistle (in the same manner) each time 
you feed it, and the bird will learn to know the signal and com^ 




Strap for Hawk's Leg. 



How to Rear Wild Birds. 183 

at the call. Keep the hawk in your company as much as pos- 
sible, and when you can, set its perch where it will see the peo- 
ple around the house, and become accustomed to their pres- 
ence ; by this means the bird may be taught not to fear man, 
and it will soon become as harmless as any small cage-bird. 

Feed young hawks upon fresh lean meat of any kind. 
When they grow older they develop a fondness for rats, mice, 
and small birds. Do not trouble yourself about their drink- 
ing-water, as they do not need it. 

The Hawk as a ** Scare-crow." 
A tame hawk is very useful in keeping the chickens out of 
the garden. Whenever the writer has placed the perch with 
his pet hawk upon it in the garden, not a chicken has dared 
to enter the enclosure ; they all seem to know their enemy by in- 
stinct, and give it a wide berth. 

The hawk himself seems to know when he is doing guard 
duty, and will sit as motionless as a statue, his head sunk down 
upon his shoulders, but the keen, bright eyes survey the whole 
field, and not an object moves that they do not see. 

The Hawk as a Decoy. 
If you want to trap other birds a tame hawk is a very valua- 
ble assistant. At any convenient spot set your bird traps, near 
by fasten the hawk, and retire a little distance ; it will not be 
many minutes before the small birds will discover their dreaded 
enemy, and from bush and tree the spunky little feathered 
warriors will come to give battle. In a few moments the 
ground and air around the hawk will be filled with robins, cat- 
birds, blackbirds, sparrows, yellowbirds, thrushes, wrens, and 
even the tiny humming-bird, making up in grit what he lacks 
in size, will join the other birds in their war against a common 
foe. In the confusion and bustle that ensues some of the 



1 84 Summer, 



small birds are sure to enter a trap or become entangled in a 
snare, and must be removed before they injure themselves in 
struggling to regain their freedom. As soon as you retire a 
little distance the small birds will again commence their war 
upon the pet hawk, who is thoroughly competent to take care 
of himself, so you can devote your whole attention to your traps. 
As a pet the hawk is a pretty bird, and always charms specta- 
tors by his bold, mihtary bearing and his bright, clear eyes. 

Owls 
the author has found incline ^ to be more wild and untamable 
than hawks and not so interesting. Even the little screech-owls 
are vicious and treacherous, snapping their small bills in a sav- 
age way whenever they are approached. A friend sends word 
that he has been more successful, and has even succeeded in 
taming the great Virginia horned owl, which was allowed to fly 
around with perfect freedom. *' Bubo" would fly all over the 
village but return at meal times ; he would come at a call and 
knew his master, obeying him even to the extent of letting go 
his hold of a pet bobolink when commanded to do so. The 
bobolink, though a little bruised, was otherwise unhurt, and 
soon recovered from the effects of being caught in the dreaded 
talons of Bubo." 

Sea Birds. 

Any of the guillemot tribe will do well if kept in an en- 
closure where there is room for them to run about. The author 
has seen numbers of tame sea birds, although he never attempted 
to rear one himself, and would advise the reader not to try unless 
he has plenty of room. Sea birds are strange creatures, and 
their characteristics are so well portrayed by a writer for The 
London Field that part of the amusing article is here given in 
the writer's own words : 



How to Rear Wild Birds. 185 

** I have been forced to banish a couple of herring gulls, as 
they persist in tearing up the grass by the roots. Some few 
years back I had a* third of the same species, named * Sims 
Reeves' (all the birds are named, so that I can give directions 
for special treatment to any particular individual during my 
absence) ; but he asserted his authority over the other two, 
' Moody ' and * Sankey,' in such an overbearing manner — 
driving them round and round the pond, the two poor 
wretches meekly trotting in front of him, while he every now 
and then gave vent to the most melancholy and piercing 
screams — that, as I found they would not live peaceably to- 
gether, Sims Reeves was allowed to go with his wing undipped, 
and in due course took his departure. No sooner had he gone 
than Moody at once became * boss,' and the last state of poor 
Sankey was no better than the first. At times they were quiet 
and contented enough ; resting side by side on the grass, they 
appeared to be the best of friends. Without the slightest 
warning, however. Moody would arise, and when he had 
cleared his throat by a preliminary * caterwaul,' the submis- 
sive Sankey, having learned by experience that it would not do 
to be caught, would be up and off. Then, with his head drawn 
back between his shoulders and his feathers slightly puffed out. 
Moody would follow in his wake. For an hour or so this 
mournful procession, round and round the pond, would con- 
tinue. At last Moody would stop, Sankey also pulling up at 
the distance of a yard or two. Moody leading, they would 
then commence a duet a la tomcat, when, suddenly dropping 
on their breasts on the ground, they would turn rapidly round 
several times, and at last attack the grass in the most excited 
manner, tearing it up by the roots and scattering the fragments 
in every direction. This proceeding is accompanied by the 
most melancholy cries and screams, and when it is stated that 
the voice of Grimalkin in his happiest, or rather his unhappiest 



1 86 Summer, 



moods, is almost sweet and pleasing to the ear compared with 
the discordant wailing of these infatuated birds, one may judge 
of the nature of their performance. Whether these antics are 
intended for courtship or defiance I am perfectly ignorant, but 
I have observed pewits acting in much the same manner. At 
first I imagined the bird was forming its nest (I was in a punt 
at about ten yards' distance), but on examining the spot on the 
following day I found no marks, and then came to the conclu- 
sion that the bird was either showing hirhself off for the admi- 
ration of the female, who was close by, or else bidding defiance 
to another male, which I could plainly see indulging in the 
same performance at a short distance. I have not the slightest 
doubt that gulls, and every species of sea bird, might, with 
proper attention and food, be so thoroughly reconciled to con- 
finement that they would nest and rear their young." 

Strange Domestic Fowls. 
In a small town situated in the interior of Georgia there 
lives a queer sort of sporting character, who has, or did 
have a few years ago, the strangest collection of fowls in his 
chicken-yard that it has ever been my fortune to see. I was 
strolhng along a side street in the town when my attention was 
attracted by the sight of a large black bear chained to the 
door-post of a small frame tavern. While watching the huge 
beast, I was accosted by the proprietor, and invited into the 
barn-yard to see his '* chickens," which he was about to feed. 
The invitation was accepted. At the first call of chick ! chick ! 
there came flying and running a curious assortment of fowls, 
tumbling over each other in their greedy haste. There were 
ducks, geese, and chickens like those to be seen in any farm- 
yard, but mingled with these were wild geese, mud hens, par- 
tridges, and beautiful little wood ducks ; the latter seemed 
tamer than the domestic species. Towering above all the other 



How to Rear Wild Birds. 



187 



fowls, flapping his wings, and making a loud metallic noise, was 
a great long-legged, red- headed crane. I afterward learned that 
the wild geese and ducks had their wings clipped, for, although 
they may be perfectly tame, these birds are very liable to fly 
away in the autumn when they see or hear their wild " cousins " 
and their '' aunts " flying overhead. I give this little experience 
to show the boys that any bird may be domesticated if its 
habits and wants are understood ; of course, it is always best 
to take young birds for the purpose. 




CHAPTER XXI. 
HOME-MADE HUNTING APPARATUS, ETC. 

Spearing Fish. 

** I don't know ! Shure I niver tried,'' is the answer reported 
to have been made by an Irishman, when asked if he could 
play the fiddle. No doubt there are many boys who would 
give a like reply if asked if they could spear a fish. 

An amateur's first attempt at casting a spear will prob- 
ably meet with about the same success as '' Paddy" might be 
expected to achieve in his first trial of a fiddle ; but almost any- 
thing can be accomplished by practice. The keen enjoyment 
of the fisher who by his skill and dexterity has succeeded in 
striking a fine fish, can only be compared to the pleasant 
triumph of his brother sportsman in the field who has just se- 
cured two birds by a difficult double-shot. 

How to Make a Fish Spear. 

Make the shaft or handle of any straight stick or pole seven 
or eight feet long ; trim it down, and test the weight occasion- 
ally by balancing it in the hand. When the shaft seems to be 
about the proper weight, it should be let alone, and attention 
directed to the barbs for the head of the spear. 

In place of the ordinary single point generally used as a spear 
head, the fishing spear may be supplied with two points, as shown 
in the illustration (Fig. 121, p. 189). Any hard, elastic material 
will do for the head, split bamboo or cane, two pieces of heavy 
iron wire, filed to a point and notched into barbs upon' the 



Home- Made Hunting Apparatus^ Etc. 189 



inside, as shown in the diagram, or the points may be made of 
bone hke the fish arrows used by the inhabitants of Vancouver's 
Island. Very hard wood will also answer for the spear head. 
After the head pieces are notched and pointed, they should be 
firmly bound to the spear at a point a few inches 
below the end of the shaft. A couple of small 
wedges driven in between the shaft and the points 
will diverge the latter, as in the illustration. After 
this is accomplished, lash the barbs firmly on up 
to the head of the shaft. If a fish be struck by 
one of these weapons, it will be next to impos- 
sible for it to escape. The elastic points at first 
suddenly spread apart as the spear strikes the 
fish's body ; the next instant they violently con- 
tract, holding the fish a secure prisoner. The 
barbs upon the inside prevent the prey from sHp- 
ping out, no matter how smooth and slimy his 
body may be. 

A small instrument made upon a similar plan 
can be used for catching snakes or other reptiles 
that are not safe or pleasant to handle. Frogs 
may also be readily captured with a fish spear, 
and any boy who takes the time to make one of 
these weapons will find himself amply repaid for 
his trouble. The elder stick described and illus- 
trated upon page 34 is made upon the same prin- 
ciple as the fish spear. 

Armed with fish spears and torches great fun can be had 
spearing fish from a row-boat at night. The torch illuminates 
the water and appears to dazzle the fish, at the same time dis- 
closing their whereabouts to the occupants of the boat, who 
with poised spears await a favorable opportunity to strike the 
scaly game. 




Fig. 121.— Fish 
Spear and En-v 
larged View of 
Spear Head. 



190 



Summer, 



How to Make the Torches and Jack-Lights. 

One way to make a torch is to wind lamp-wick upon a 
forked stick (Fig. 122). The ball of wick must be thoroughly 
saturated with burning fluid of some kind. The torches should 
all be prepared before starting upon the excursion. 

Never take a siLpply of kerosene or any explosive oil with 
you in the boat^ for, in the excitement of the sport, accidents 
of the most serious nature may happen. A safe light 
can be made with a number of candles set in a box. 
A glass front allows the light to shine through, and 
a piece of bright tin for a reflector behind adds bril- 
liancy to the illumination. A box of this description 
is generally called a **jack-box;" it is much less 
trouble than the flaring pine-knot or wick-ball torches. 
The candles in the "jack-box" should be replen- 
ished each time after it is used ; in this manner the 
jack may be kept always ready for use. After the 
candles are lighted fasten the box in the bow of the 
boat ; here it will throw a bright light ahead, illumi- 
nating the water, but casting a hervy, dark shadow 
in the boat, concealing the occupants from view. The boys in 
the boat can, of course, see all the better for being themselves 
in shadow. 

The Boomerang. 

We might expect strange weapons to come from a land that 
produces quadrupeds with heads like ducks, and other great 
beasts that go bounding over the plains like some immense 
species of jumping spiders, using their thick tails as a sort of 
spring to help them in leaping, and carrying their young in 
their fur-lined vest pockets ! Nor will we be disappointed 
when, after viewing the duckbill and the kangaroo, we see the 
odd-looking clubs called boomerangs, or the simple but in- 




Home-Made Hunting Apparatus^ Etc, 191 

getiiotis throw-sticks by means of which the native Austra- 
lians 3re enabled to cast their weapon, with the greatest accu- 
racy, an astonishingly long distance. 

The boomerang, or bommerang as it is sometimes called, 
is one of the most mysterious weapons known. Evolved by 
slow degrees from a simple war club by the ignorant and sav- 
age Australians, this instrument excites the interest and aston- 
ishes the civilized man by its strange and apparently unaccount- 
able properties. To all appearances it is a simple, roughly 
hewn club, yet its movements when thrown by an expert hand 
are so eccentric as to make it a curious anomaly even to per- 
sons educated in natural philosophy. Whatever is wonderful or 
marvellous is always a subject of peculiar interest to mankind 
generally, but to boys an inexplicable natural phenomenon is a 
treasure-trove of immeasurable value. 



How to Make a Boomerang. 

With boiling water scald a piece of well-seasoned elm, ash, 
or hickory plank that is free from knots. Allow the wood to 
remain in the water until 
it becomes pliable enough 
to bend into the form 
indicated by Fig. 123. 
When it has assumed the 
proper curve, nail on the 
side pieces A, A (Fig. 
123) to hold the wood in Fig. 123. 

position until it is thoroughly dry ; after which the side pieces 
may be removed, with no fear that the plank will not retain the 
curve imparted. 

Saw the wood into as many pieces as it will allow (Fig. 124 
B), and each piece will be a boomerang in the rough that only 




192 



Summer, 



needs to be trimmed up with a pocket-knife, and scraped smooth 
with a piece of broken glass to make it a finished weapon. 

A large wood-rasp or file is of great assistance in shaping 
the implement. Fig. 124 C shows a finished boomerang. Fig. 

124 D shows a cross section of 
the same. The curve in no two 
boomerangs is exactly the same ; 
some come round with a graceful 
sweep, while others bend so sud- 
denly in the middle that they have 
more the appearance of angles 
than curves. Just what the qual- 
ity is that makes a good boomer- 
ang is hard to discover, although, 
as a rule, the one that appears to 
have the best balance and feels as 
if it might be thrown easily is the 
best. 

To Throw a Boomerang^ 

grasp the weapon near one end 
and hold it as you would a club ; 
be careful to have the concave side, or hollow curvature, 
turned from you and the convex side toward you. Take aim 
at a stone, tuft of grass or other object on the ground about a 
hundred yards in front of you, and throw the weapon at the ob- 
ject. The weapon will in all probability not go anywhere near 
the mark, but, soaring aloft, perform some of the most extra- 
ordinary manoeuvres, then starting off again with apparently 
renewed velocity, either return to the spot from where it was 
thrown or go sailing off over the fields like a thing possessed df 
life. A boomerang cast by a beginner is very dangerous in a 
crowd, for there is no telling where it is going to alight, and 




Fig. 124. 



Home- Made Hunting Apparatus^ Etc. 193 

when it does come down it sometimes comes with force enough 
to cut a small dog almost in two.* Select a large open field 
where the ground is soft and there is no one around to be hurt. 
In such a field you may amuse yourself by the day throwing 
these curious weapons, and you can in this manner learn how 
to make the boomerang go through all manner of the most in 
describable movements seemingly at your bidding. 

The Miniature Boomerang 

here represented is supposed to be cut out of a card. The shape 
given in the illustration is a very good one, but it may be 
varied to an almost unlimited degree. Card boomerangs over 
an inch or so in length do not work well, but they may be made 
very much smaller. 

One of these tiny instruments cannot be grasped by the 
hand, but when it is to be launched upon its eccentric journey 
the toy should be laid flat upon a card, al- 
lowing one end to project from the side as 
in Fig. 125. Take hold of the lower left 
hand corner of the card with the left hand, 
and with the forefinger of the right hand 
fillip the boomerang, striking it a quick, 
smart blow with the finger-nail, and the lit- 
tle missile will sail away, going through al- 
most the same manoeuvres that the large fig. 12s.— Miniature 
wooden boomerang does when thrown from oomerang. 

the hand. Small boomerangs can be whittled out of a shingle 
with a pocket knife, and considerable" amusement had with 
them ; these small affairs can be thrown on the crowded play- 
ground, where it would be exceedingly dangerous to experi- 
ment with the larger and heavier club before described. 

* " I have seen a dog killed on the spot, its body being nearly cut in two by the 
boomerang as it fell." — Rev. J, G. Wood. 




194 



Summer. 



Position Assumed when Casting the 
Arrow. 



The Whip-Bow. 

This graceful and powerful weapon is like an ordinary long- 
bow, with the exception that the bow-string is made fast to but 
one end, after the manner of a whip-lash ; where the whip-lash 

terminates in a ^ 
*' snapper," the |Y 
bow-string ends in 
a hard, round knot 
(Fig. 126) ; the ar- 
row is made like 
any other arrow, 
either with a blunt 
end or a pointed 
spear-point. In 
one, side of the ar- 
row a notch is cut 
(Fig. 126, A) ; the 
bow-string being 
slipped into this 
notch, the knot at 
the end of the string prevents the arrow from 
flipping off until thrown by the archer, who, tak- 
ing the butt of the whip-bow in his right hand, 
holds the arrow at the notch with his left hand, as 
In the illustration; then swaying his body from 
side to side, he suddenly lets go with his left 
hand, at the same time extending his right arm 
to its full length from his side ; this not only Fig"i26.— whip 
gives the arrow all the velocity it would acquire °^* 

from the bow, but adds the additional force of a shng, thus 
sending the projectile a greater distance. The only place that 
I have seen the whip-bow used is on the lake shore in North- 





Home- Made Hunting Apparatus^ Etc, 195 



ern Ohio. In some parts of this section it used to be a great 
favorite among the boys, who would throw the arrows up j)er- 
pendicularly an amazing distance. Arrows can be bought in 
any city, but most boys prefer to make their own, leaving the 
''store arrows" for the girls to use with their pretty ** store 
bows." The essential quality in an arrow is straightness. A 
spear-head can be made of an old piece of hoop-iron, a broken 
blade of a knife, or any similar piece of iron or steel, by grind- 
ing it down to the proper form and then binding it on to the 
shaft with fish line, silk, or a ''waxed end," such as shoe- 
makers use, or the arrow may have a blunt end with a sharp- 
pointed nail in the head. These arrows should only be used in 
target practice or when after game ; they are dangerous on the 
play-ground. A simple whip-bow may be made by any boy in a 
few minutes out of an elastic sapling or branch, and an arrow cut 
out ot a pme shmgle with a pocket-knife. This can be improved 
upon as much as may be de- 
sired by substituting a piece of 
straight grained, well-seasoned 
wood for the green branch, and 
regularly made Indian arrows 
for the crude pine ones. 

Throw-Sticks. 

The same race that invented 
the wonderful boomerang also 
originated the equally ingen- 
ious throw-stick illustrated by 
Fig. 127, page 196. Although 
any of my readers can, in a few ^^ing the Throw-Stick. 

moments, fashion a throw-stick from a piece of wood by the aid 
of a pocket-knife, I doubt if they could use the instrument to 
any advantage without considerable practice. 




196 



Summer. 



Make the lance of cane or bamboo ; use a straight piece and 
put an arrow-head upon one end ; then holding the lance on a 
throw-stick, as shown by 



the accompanying illus- 
tration, cast it with all 
your might. The first 
trials will, doubtless, be 
failures, but nothing is 
gained without practice ; 
and when you once '* catch 
the hang of the thing " 



Tov VH-ur 



Fig, 127, —Throw-Sticks. 



you will be astonished to see what a distance a comparatively 
small boy can throw a spear. Any straight, thin stick may be 
used as a lance. Allow one end to rest against the 
point upon the throw-stick, which will hold it in place 
until the cast is made. The throw-stick acts as a 
sling, lending additional force to the arm, and send- 
ing the spear much further than the strongest man can 
cast it with his unaided hand. 



The Bird-Bolas. 

Probably all of my readers have read of that won- 
derful sling called a ** bolas," used by some tribes of 
savages for the capture of game, but I doubt if any 
of them ever tried to manufacture one for themselves. 
Yet this curious missile can be made 
by a boy, and if he be inchned to 
field sports, he will find that a bird- 
bolas will do considerable execution. 

Hunt for a half dozen round stones 
about the size of large marbles, or, bet- 
ter still, take six leaden musket-balls, 
wrap each ball in a piece of an old kid glove, buckskin, or 




Fig. 128.— Bird-Bolas. 



Home- Made Hunting Apparatus^ Etc. 197 

cloth, as shown by the diagram (a, b, Fig. 128). Take three 
pieces of string each five feet long, double them in the centre, 
and bind the doubled parts together ; a few small feathers may 
be bound in to add a finished and Indian look to the bolas. 
To the ends of the strings attach the bullets (Fig. 128). To 
cast the bolas, grasp it by the feathered part with the thumb 
and first finger, whirl it around your head as you would an 
ordinary sling. When you let go, the loaded ends of the 
strings will fly apart, so that the missile wdll cover a space in 
the air of five feet in diameter. If a string strike a bird it will 
instantly wrap itself round and round the body ; if the loaded 
end strike the game it will, of course, stun or disable it. One 
of these instruments cast into a flock of birds is certain to bring 
down several. 

For target practice, use in the place of the ordinary butt 
a number of reeds or sticks stuck upright in the ground about 
a foot apart ; after measuring the distance for the marksman to 
stand and marking the spot, let him see how many reeds he 
can level at a single cast of the bolas. The one who makes 
the biggest score can assume the title of " Big Injun," and weai 
a feather in his hat, or an appropriate badge, until some more 
skilled hand beats the record and wins the title and the badge. 
No shots should count unless made in a regularly appointed 
match. 

The Elastic Cross-Bow. 

(a new kind of cross-bow.) 

Select a piece of thick pine or cedar plank and saw out a piece 
of the form shown by A, Fig. 129. Trim it down with a jack- 
knife until it becomes more finished and gun-like in appear- 
ance. With a gouge, such as may be borrowed at any car- 
penter or cabinet-maker's shop, cut a half round groove from 



T98 



Summer, 



tiie butt to the muzzle of the barrel. The groove must be per- 
fectly straight and true (B, Fig. 129). Bore a hole in the piece 
(E), for the bow to fit in. The bow in this case should be made 
perfectly stiff, so as not to bend in the least when the line is 
drawn and the gun set. The bow may be bent into the proper 
form by steeping it in boiling water until the wood becomes 
pliable, and binding it firmly into the required position. After it 

has become per- 
fectly dry the 
wood will retain 
the form and the 
bindings may be 
cut off. Trim the 
bow nicely into 
shape, and make 
it of such size 
that it will not 
bend when the 
string is drawn. 
Fit the bow into 
place, not like an 
ordinary cross- 
bow but in a re- 
versed position, as shown by the diagram C, Fig. 129. It 
might be an improvement to set the bow back toward the stock 
an inch or two further than the one in the illustration. For a 
bow-line use two pieces of strong elastic, with a string for a cen- 
tre piece. The cent'-e cord prevents the bow-line from wearing 
out as soon as it would if it were all elastic (Fig. 129, C). 
Make the trigger in the manner described for the plunger pistol 
(Fig. 134, page 204), but instead of fastening it upon one side 
with a screw, set it in a slot cut for the purpose in the middle 
of the barrel near the stock, and let it move freely upon a pivot. 




Fig. 129. — The Elastic Cross-Bow. 



Home- Made Hunting Apparatus^ Etc. 199 



Cut a thin, smooth piece of pine just long and wide enough to 
cover the gun-barrel from stock to muzzle, and fasten it on 
with a couple of small brads at the muzzle 
and a screw at the stock (Fig. 129, C). 

There is always a certain amount of dan- 
ger attending the use of firearms which is 
avoided by the cross-bow, added to which 
advantage is the fact that the twang a bow- 
string makes is so slight a noise as not to 
alarm the game, and if the young sports- 
man be inexperienced he may shoot several 
times at the same bird or rabbit without 
frightening it away. With a little practice 
it is astonishing what precision of aim can 
be obtained with the cross-bow. I know 
miss a bird even with the simple elastic sling, consisting of two 
pieces of rubber bands attached to a forked or a straight stick 
(Fig. 130). 




Fig. 130.— Elastic Sling. 

boys who seldom 




.— ^ 



Hunter's Cabin* 



CHAPTER XXII. 

HOW TO MAKE BLOW-GUNS, ELDER GUNS, ETC. 

The fierce and savage head hunters of Borneo go to war 
armed with the same implements with which the school-boys 
shoot peas or pellets of clay at unsuspecting citizens as they 
pass the ambuscade of tree or fence. The blow-guns used by 
the Dyaks of Borneo are called sumpitans, and instead of clay 
balls they carry poisoned arrows. A spear is also attached to 
the side of one end of the sumpitan, after the manner of a bay- 
onet on a modern rifle. In speaking of the sumpitan a recent 
writer says : " This curious weapon is about eight feet in length 
and not quite an inch in diameter, and is bored with the great- 
est accuracy, a task that occupies a long time, the wood being 
very hard and the interior of the sumpitan smooth and even 
polished. It is not always made of the same wood. The sur- 
face is of equal thickness from end to end." Among the South 
American Indians the sumpitan is represented by the long 
delicate *'pucuna," or the heavy and unwieldy '^ zarabatana." 
All savages use poisoned arrows in their blow-guns instead 
of harmless pellets of clay or putty. Taking a few hints from the 
primitive warriors and hunters of Borneo and South America, 
any boy, with a little care and small expense, can construct 
for himself a blow-gun which will be handy to carry around 
and will shoot with great accuracy. Mr. W. Hamilton Gibson, 
the well-known artist, has acquired such skill with the blow- 
gun that he seldom misses the mark, and often brings home 



How to Make Blow-Guns, 201 

birds and other creatures brought down by a clay pellet blown 
from a glass sumpitan. 

For twenty-five cents a glass tube, three or four feet long, can 
be purchased. With these tubes can be made the best of blow- 
guns, but they are objectionable on account of being liable to 
break at any moment from some accidental blow or jar. With 
some fl-annel or woollen cloth and an old piece of cane fishing-pole 
i cover and a case can be made to enclose the glass and prevent 
Its being broken by anything short of a severe knock or fall. 

To Make a Blow-Gun. 

Select a good straight piece of glass tube about three or four 
feet long. To discover whether the glass tube is straight or not, 
hold it horizontally level with the eye and look through it, and 
any deviation will be quickly seen. Wrap the tube with strips 
of flannel or woollen cloth, as illustrated by Fig. 131, A. The 



»M) r~z. i!ju— — ^:> j) 

C ^^ ^ — ^ ^^ 

Fig. 131.— The Hunter's Blow-Gun. 

cloth will make a soft covering or cushion for the outside of the 
glass and render it less liable to break. With a red-hot iron 
rod, or some similar instrument, enlarge the hollow in the cen- 
tre of a piece of cane until the blow-gun can be slid inside the 
cane. With putty, shoemakers' wax or beeswax secure the tips 
of the tube in place. Trim off the ends of the cane until they 
are flush with the ends of the glass. You will then have a 
blow-gun that can be used to hunt with (B, Fig. 131). For 
missiles may be used arrows^ tacks, peas, or clay. The arrows 



202 SMmmer. 



must be very small, and a pin with its head filed off makes a 
simple point ; some raw cotton bound on the butt end to make 
it fit the inside of the gun finishes the missile (Fig. 131, D). 
The tack is prepared by fastening short pieces of worsted or 
carpet ravelhngs to it just below the head with shoemakers' or 
beeswax (C, Fig. 131). 

This not only fills up the space inside the blow-gun, 'making 
it fit, but the yarn also acts as a feather does upon an 
arrow and causes the tack to fly straight and point foremost. 
The worsted-headed tack is a *' tip-top " missile for target prac- 
tice. The clay pellet will b^ing down small birds, stunning 
them, but doing them no serious injury, so that if the birds are 
quickly picked up they can be captured alive. 

Along the Mississippi River, from New Orleans to Nash- 
ville, there are still some remnants of the Indians that in olden 
times paddled their canoes up and down the Father of Waters. 
The boys among these tribes make splendid blow-guns out of 
cane. When the inside is bored out they straighten the cane 
by heating it over hot coals, and then, after attaching a heavy 
weight to one end, suspending it by a string attached to the 
other end. The heat from the hot coals makes the cane pliable, 
and before it becomes cold and hard, the weights make it 
almost as straight and true as a rifle-barrel. 

Squirt- Guns. 

Some time during the summer of each year a boy used to 
appear with a squirt-gun made of a piece of cane. Squirt-gun- 
time then commenced, next day four or five guns might be seen 
on the play-grounds, and before a week had passed the curb- 
stone in front of the little frame school-house presented a line 
of boys all busily engaged in seeing who could shoot th*^ 
greatest distance ; the dusty macadamized street registered 
every drop of water by a muddy spot. I found that by adding 



-3 ^ ^ 



//i97£; /(9 Make Elder-Guns. 203 

a quill as a nozzle to my '* squirt " it would throw water much 
further than the others. It is a very simple thing to make a good 
squirt-gun, and one may be manufactured In a few minutes. 

First cut a joint from a piece of an old cane fishing-pole, 
being careful not to disturb the pithy substance that almost 
closes the hollow at the joints. Insert a quill for a nozzle at 
oneof the joints and see that yj 

it fits tightly; leave the other ^=^~ v \ ^ 

end open. With your pock- 
et-knife fashion from a piece 
of pine or cedar the plunger 

(B, Fig. 132) ; leave the wood ^^^- ^3--Cane Squirt-Gun. 

a little thicker at both ends and wrap a rag around one end, 
making It just thick enough to fit snugly in the cane after wet- 
ting it. This completes the ''squirt" (A, Fig. 132). To use- 
it, immerse the quill in water, first push the plunger in, then 
draw it out slowly until the gun is filled with water. Take aim, 
and when you push the plunger back again the water will 
issue from the quill In a sudden stream, travelHng quite a dis- 
tance. One of these water-guns is quite useful in the garden ; 
by its means the insects Infesting the rose bushes and other 
shrubs may be knocked off in no time. When the owner of an 
aquarium finds dead animals or plants that should be removed, 
located in some crack or cranny that Is difficult to reach, the 
squirt-gun Is just the thing to dislodge the objects without dis- 
turbing the surrounding rocks 
or plants. 




(i)) ',--^''^^^^--'"-- -- -""" ^J Elder-Guns and Pistols. 
. — — - o 

When the author was a very 



O-v-ro-uir- 

FiG. 133.— A Simple Elder-Gun. 



small boy he was taught by 
some playmates to make an elder gun, a simple contrivance, 
made of a piece of elder or any other hollow stick. A long 



204 



Summer, 




notch cut in one side admits a spring made of whalebone (Fig. 
133). By pushing the spring back the short arrow shown in 
the illustration can be propelled quite a distance. If instead 
of the awkward whalebone spring a piece of elastic be used, ^ 

much neater gun 
'^''f^^fe'y can be made 

Fig- 134 shows 
a pistol made 
with an elderbar- 
rel and a stock 
of pine. A plun- 
ger, similar in 
many respects to 

Fig. 134— Plunger Pistol. ^^^ ^^^ ^3^^ jj^ 

the squirt-gun, is made with an edge to catch in the trigger. 
An elastic band is bound to the barrol with string, and the 
loop fastened to the butt end of the plunger. When the latter 
is drawn back to the trigger it stretches the elastic. By pulling 
the trigger toward you it loosens the plunger, which flies back 
with a snap, sending the arrow out with considerable force. 
The barrel of the pistol may be fastened to the stock by two 
strips of tin or leather. The diagram shows the form of the trig- 
ger, which should _____„ 

be rnade so as to .^"^^^V^"^'^!-^ •^;^ — ' 8 ' W ) 

move readily 
backward or for- 
ward upon the ^ - ' ^ *^^-^«'^^- 
screw that fastens 

it to the stock. Fig. 135.— Pistol without a Plunger. 

Fig. 135 shows how a pistol can be made to work without a 
plunger. In this case the barrel is partly cut off from A to B. 
The arrow should be made to fit in the groove, so that when the 
clastic is loosened it will strike the arrow in the same manne.* 




How to Make Spring Shot-Guns. 205 



that the string of a cross-bow does. Both these pistols, if made 
with good, strong elastic, will shoot quite a distance, and if the 
arrows are armed with a tack or pin in the head they can be 
ased in target practice. We now come to a gun in which the 
spring is the principal part. 

The Spring Shot-Gun. 

A certain old gentleman was at one time very much annoyed 
by fine bird-shot which at all times of the day came rattling 
against the window-panes of his study. Being somewhat of a 
philosopher, the old man at last became deeply interested in 
investigating the cause of his annoyance. From the window 
he could see a house 
separated from his 
study by a deep back 
yayd, a vacant lot, and 
anuther yard. While 
peering out between 
\hv. blinds of his window 
he saw a boy appear 
at one of the windows 
of the distant house ; 
the boy held something in his left hand which he pulled with his 
right; almost instantly there was a rattling of bird-shot against 
the old gentleman's window glass, and the boy disappeared 
But so great was the distance that separated the two houses 
that it was impossible for the old man to distinguish what sort 
of an instrument the mischievous lad used to propel the 
fine shot so far and with such force. The youngster was at last 
waylaid, and the mystery solved. The machine used proveci 
to be a spring shot-gun. No powder or explosive is used with 
one of these guns, neither does it possess stock, trigger, or 
sights, but simply consists of a stick of whalebone or any other 




Spring Shot-gun. 



2o6 Summer, 



elastic material, one end of which is armed with a large quiUf 
corked at its lower end. 

When the quill is filled with fine bird-shot and the end of 
the stick grasped by the left hand, the contents of the quill can 
be thrown an amazing distance by bending the quill end back 
and allowing it to suddenly fly forward, upon the principle of 
the whip bow. If instead of a small piece of whalebone a large 
and very elastic rod be used, with a tin tube in the place of the 
quill, an eflective weapon will be produced useful for hunting 
and collecting purposes ; although the shot cast from the tube 
will have sufficient force to stun a small bird, it will not injure 
the specimen by making ugly holes in the skin and staining the 
feathers with blood. All of the weapons described in this and 
other chapters should be used with care, for many of them are 
capable of inflicting severe wounds. Never aim a bended bow 
with arrow set at a companion or friend, for a little slip may 
cause irreparable harm. Even a blunt arrow propelled from a 
barrel-hoop bow has sufficient force to destroy an eye or make 
a severe bruise. A true sportsman has the greatest respect fojf 
his weapons and handles them with scrupulous care. 



2lutumit 




liu-. '■ 



• r 



CHAPTER XXIII. 
TRAPS AND TRAPPINGS. 

Summer is over. Again the air becomes cooler. The straw 
hats are discarded, so also are the linen suits ; we begin to look 
up heavier clothing, for although the sun still shines brightl}^, 
the nights are growing chill. Even at midday we no longer 
seek the shady side of the streets or roadways. 

In the woods all the little inhabitants are preparing for the 
approaching winter. Backward and forward, from the beech 
tree to his nest under the wood-pile, runs the nimble little 
brown-coated, striped-back chipmunk, each trip adding to 
the pile of beech nuts secreted in the storehouse of this provi- 
dent little fellow. Scampering along the top rail of the fence 
the gray squirrel may be seen, also busily engaged in laying 
up a supply of winter stores. The birds are gathering in large 
flocks, with noisy twitterings and excited flutterings, preparatory 
to their yearly pilgrimage to the Sunny South. The bouncing 
hare is thinking of discarding its summer coat of brown and 
donning its white winter furs. The leaves of the ivy vines 
shine like red fire wreathed around the tree trunks. All nature 
seems busy going through a transformation scene — an air of 
preparation is visible everywhere. 

The reports of the sportsmen's guns may be heard, and their 
dogs may be seen in the stubble-fields manoeuvreing like well- 



2IO Autumn. 



drilled soldiers promptly obeying every command of their 
masters. 

And far and wide — in the cold Northern regions, in the pine 
woods of Maine, in the Rocky Mountains of the West — the 
hardy trappers are busy collecting their traps and making prep- 
arations, or are already engaged in their annual campaign 
against all fui--bearing animals. 

In order that my reader may not be behind the season, 
this chapter is devoted to the description of a few simple but 
effective traps and snares, such as may be made of the material 
always at hand, with the aid of a pocket-knife, hatchet, or other 
tools within the reach of boys. 

Rats. 

We have in North America more than fifty kinds of rats 
and mice, the largest of which is the muskrat. Next in size 
comes the great, ugly brown rat. 

More than three hundred years ago the black rat found its 
way from Europe to this country, settled here with our ances- 
tors, and, Hke them, increased and prospered. The black rat is 
rather a neater and prettier animal than the now omnipresent 
Norway brown rat. The latter is of Asiatic origin, and appears 
to have made its way to this country since the advent of the 
black rat, which it has supplanted and almost exterminated. 
The roof rat in the Southern States came originally from 
Egypt, and the little brown mouse that creates so much mis- 
chief in our closets is of Asiatic parentage. All rats may be 
caught in traps, and for an amateur trapper the house rat is a 
good subject to practice on. By no means a fool among ani- 
mals, possessing a due regard for his own safety, and looking 
with suspicion upon most traps, the Norway brown rat is not 
so easily caught as one who has never baited a ''figure four" 
might suppose. A very successful way to capture house rats 



Traps and Trappings, 



211 



is to carefully close all the doors of the kitchen, barn, or room 
infested with them, and after removing all small objects from 
the floor, bait each hole with crumbs of meal and cheese ; over 
the holes place little doors made of tin or wire, hung on with 
strings or screw-eyes, these doors open but one way and are so 
arranged that the rat can easily push the door open from the 
inside, but as soon as the animal makes its appearance in 
the room the door falls back into place, thus cutting off all 
retreat. In a short time the room will be overrun with rats, 
and if allowed to remain undisturbed for a few hours they will 
all escape through new holes made by their sharp teeth ; if a 
terrier dog or a few cats be let into the room, not many rats 
will live to tell the tale of the massacre. 



The Paper Pitfall. 
Over the top of an earthenware jar fasten a piece of writing 




Fig. 136.— a Mouse Trap, 



212 



Autumn, 



paper, tightly binding it with a string or elastic band. In the 
centre of the paper cut a cross as shown in the illustration 
(Fig. 136). Set the jar in the closet and suspend by a string a 
piece of toasted cheese over the centre of the jar. If there are 
any mice in the closet the bait will attract them, but just as 
soon as the first mouse reaches the centre of the paper he will 
drop into the jar, and the paper will flyback in place again ready 
for the next comer. A trap arranged in the same manner can 
be used for the capture of field mice, shrews, and harvest mice, 
some of which make odd and amusing pets. All of these pretty 
little animals may be found in the fields or under brush heaps 
in the clearings. A barrel covered with stiff brown paper can 
be used for common rats, but they will gnaw out unless the 
barrel be partly filled with water. 



Jug Trap. 

An old earthenware jug with a small hole knocked in thv. 

^;^ upper part may be 

'■ ' utilized as a trap 

'l^^-^ for small burrow- 
ing animals. Bury 
'I/I the jug in the earth 
(Fig. 137) near the 



■^^vw 




haunts of the ani- 
mal you are after ; 
then arrange an ar- 
tificial burrow ex- 
tending from the 
su rfac e of the 
ground to the hole 

F,G. i37.-01d Jug Trap. ;„ ^^^ j^^^^^^ j^g . 

strew appropriate bait along the passageway, and although 
the little creatures might hesitate to enter a broken jug above 



Traps and Trappings, 



213 



ground, they are said to have no fear of one beneath the sod, 
and either jump or fall inside, where they may be allowed to 
remain some time with no fear of their escaping. 
The jug trap is only suitable for small animals. 

The Mole and How to Trap Him. 

Moles are, generally speaking, harmless creatures who ren^ 
der the farmer a great service by devouring immense quanti- 
ties of grubs and larvae ; but when one of these little animals 
finds its way under the sod of the lawn it plays sad havoc 
with the looks of the grass, furrowing the surface with ridges, 
and marring the appearance by dirt hills. 

From the fact that the mole travels under ground, I have 
spent considerable time in trying to find a trap to catch this 
subterranean animal. Among we boys that lived in the valley 
of the Ohio River, a mole skin was highly prized as a sort of 
fetich that, when 
used as a "knuckle 
dabster " to rest our 
hands on in a game of 
marbles, not only 
prevented our hands 
from becoming soiled 
— which was no great 
matter— but also in- 
sured good luck to 
the happy boy who 

Fig. 138. — Construction of the Figure Four. 

possessed a knuckle 

dabster made of a mole skin. There are but very few animals 
that can boast of fur as soft and fine as that which covers the 
back of the common mole. 

A mole trap can be made in the old reliable figure four 
style, with which most of my readers are no doubt famiMar. 




14 



Autumn, 



The Figure Four 
IS made of three sticks ; a catch-stick, A, an upright, B, and a 
trigger, C (Fig. 138). When these sticks are set in the position 
shown by the diagram, and a weight allowed to rest on the top 
of the catch, A, the sticks will keep their positions and support 
the weight undl the trigger, C, is touched. 

At the slightest derangement of the trigger all the sticks 
fall, and the weight above, being left without a support, instantly 
drops to the ground. This trap has been ingeniously adapted 
to the purpose of a 

Mole Trap. 
A heavy weight is fastened on a piece of plank or board 
for a deadfall ; in the centre of the board some sharp-pointed 
spikes or nails are driven, so that the pointed ends extend sev- 




FiG. 139.— Mole Trap. 

eral inches below the deadfall (see Fig. 1 39). This trap should 
be set over a fresh mole-way, no bait need be used. 

First press down the loose earth in a line across the ridge, 
then set the trap with a figure four, allowing the trigger-stick to 
rest in the place where you have pressed down the earth across 



Traps and Trappings. 215 

the mole hill. The trap should be so arranged that the sharp 
spikes will be directly over the hill. The next time the mole 
makes his way through the underground passage he will sooner 
or later come to che place where the earth has been pressed 
down to make room for the trigger. 

When the little animal reaches this point and proceeds to 
loosen the earth again, the movement will displace the trigger 
and bring the -dead weight down, pinioning the mole to the 
ground with the sharp spikes, to which the loose earth of the 
mole hill offers but little resistance, if the weight be heavy 
enough. If the skin of the animal be desired, it is best to use 
as few spikes as practicable, for the fewer holes there are in a 
pelt the more valuable it is. 

I object to deadfalls on principle, and it is not 'without 
some reluctance that I include them among the traps. As a 
boy, the only traps I ever used were made for capturing animals 
alive ; but there are occasions when it is perfectly proper to 
use a deadfall. If the animal sought is a nuisance upon whose 
extermination you have settled for good reasons, then use a 
deadfall, or if you desire the animal for food and have no other 
means of capturing him, the deadfall is very convenient. Sup- 
posing your supply of fresh meat has run short at camp, or that 
you are on a canoe trip and are placed under similar circum- 
stances, if there be a rabbit or squirrel in the neighborhood 
no one will find fault with you for trying to capture the game 
hy any means in your power. 

The Toll-gate Trap 

IS so called either from Its resemblance to a toll-gate, or from 
the fact of its being set across the top of a rail fence, which has 
been called the '* squirrel's highway." This trap can be made 
in a few minutes with the aid of a pocket-knife and a hatchet. 
The toll-gate is a deadfall, and the little traveller pays the toll 



2l6 



^Mfumn, 



with his life. With your hatchet cut a forked stick and drive 
it in the ground a few feet from the fence ; rest one end of a 
plank on this forked stick and allow the other end to protrude 
some distance beyond the opposite side of the fence. Select a 
heavy stick for the deadfall, and a very much smaller stick for 
the trigger ; near the end of the trigger cut a notch for the catch- 
stick to rest in. Sharpen the ends of two small forked sticks 
and drive them into splits made near the ends of the board 
with the corner of the hatchet. Lay a cross piece from one 
forked stick to the other, and with a bit of string or vegetable 
fibre suspend the catch- stick from the centre of the cross stick. 
Tie the inside end of the trigger loosely to the deadfall, and 
adjust the trap so that when the end of the deadfall rests upon 
the catch-stick the latter will hold the trigger an inch or so 




Toll-gate Trap. 



above the plank. To prevent the trap from swaying and to 
guide the deadfall in the proper direction, two upright guide- 
sticks should be erected (Fig. 140). The weight of a squirrel's 
foot upon the bottom bar slips it from the catch-stick and down 
comes the deadfall upon the shoulders of the victim. 

This same style of trap may be made upon a much larger 



Traps and Trappings. 217 

scale and set on logs or trees that have fallen across a water 
course and are used as a bridge by minks, 'coons, or other ani^ 
mals. The forked sticks supporting the end of the plank must 
in this case be driven into the bed of the creek, and a plank 
twenty feet long substituted for the short one used in the trap 
designed for squirrels. 

To be a successful trapper a boy must be a keen observer of 
the habits of the game ; by this means he will soon learn to 
take advantage of the very means designed by Nature as a pro- 
tection for her creatures. For instance, the partridges are not 
good flyers, but their unobtrusive coats rriingle and blend so 
closely with the stubble as to take a sharp eye to detect their 
presence ; hence we find that these birds are loth to take to the 
wing, but will run along any slight obstruction they meet, 
poking their heads about to find an outlet, apparently never 
once thinking of surmounting both the difficulty and the obstruc- 
tion by using their wings. The "down East "' Yankee boys 
are thoroughly acquainted with the habits of the partridge, and 
catch a great many of them by building little hedges like the 
one in the illustration entitled 

The Partridge Snare. 

The snare in this case consists of a slip-noose made of string. 
Make a bow-line knot (Fig. 58, diagram XIII., described on 
page jG) in one end of a piece of common string or fish line ; slip 
the other end of the string through the loop and make the free 
end fast to the top of an arch made of a bent stick (see Fig. 141). 
In a semi-circular form, around some feeding ground, build a low 
fence of sticks, brush or stones, leaving openings at intervals 
only large enough to fit in arched gateways. Make an arch for 
each opening and arrange a slip-noose in each archway ; spread 
the loops apart and keep them in this position by catching 
the strings slightly into notches made upon the outside of 



2l8 



Autumn, 



the arch (see Fig. 141). The birds, when they seek their ac- 
customed feeding place, will walk into the semi-circle, and in 
searching for an outlet they will go poking their heads about 
until they come to an archway ; here they thrust their heads 
through the slip-noose, and as, instead of backing out, a part- 




FiG. 141.— The Partridge Snare. 

ridge will try to force its way through, the noose tightens and 
holds the bird a prisoner. Sometimes the youthful trapper will 
find the lifeless body of a rabbit with the fatal noose around its 
neck, and often he will miss one or two of his arches that have 
been uprooted and carried away by large game becoming en- 
[tangled, and walking off, carrying arch, noose, and all with 
them. This partridge snare will also catch quail or prairie 
chickens. 

Set-Line Snares. 

Snares when used for catching birds alive should be closely 
watched ; which will not only prevent the captured wild birds 
from beating themselves to death, but will save them from suf- 
fering any more pain than is absolutely necessary^ 



Traps and Trappings. 



219 



Select a smooth piece of ground and drive two stakes ; to 
these attach a long cord, allowing it to stretch loosely upon the 
ground from one stake to the other. At intervals along the 
line fasten strong horse-hair nooses (Fig. 142). .Sprinkle food 




Fig. 142.— Set-Line Snares. 

around and retire out of sight to watch. When the birds dis- 
cover the food they will collect around it, and some one of them 
is almost certain to become entangled in one of the snares. As 
soon as a bird is snared it should be disentangled and put into 
a covered basket ot- a paper bag ; pin-holes may be made in the 
bag to allow the air to enter. In this way birds may be carried 
home without injury ; being in the dark they are not likely to hurt 
or disfigure themselves by struggling for their liberty. A cage 
is not only an awkward, unwieldy contrivance to carry in the 
field, but is objectionable from the fact that a wild bird caught 
and thrust into a cage will bruise its head and wings badly by 
striking against the bars in the efforts it makes to escape, 
paper bags, pasteboard boxes, or covered baskets will do to 
carry home captured wild birds in. 

The Spring Snare. 

Make a low arch by pointing both ends of a stick and forcing 

them into the ground. Cut a switch and bend it into the form 

of a lawn tennis racket, and with a string fasten the small 

end of the switch to the part that answers to the handle of the 



220 



Autumn, 



bat or racket ; just beyond the point where the small end ter-^ 
minates cut a notch in the large part or handle for the catch- 
stick to fit in. Make a short stick, with one end wedge-shaped, 
for a catch-stick. Drive a peg at such a distance in front of 
the arch that when the loop of the spreader is slipped over 
the peg the notch on the butt end will come just far enough to 
allow the catch-stick to hold it, as in Fig. 143. For a spring 
use an elastic young sapling. After stripping off the leaves 




and branches, attach a line to the top, tie the other end of the 
line to the catch-stick, and just above the cross stick fasten one 
end of a slip-noose to the line. To set the snare, bend the 
sapling until you can pass the catch-stick under the bender 
or arch, Figs. 143,- 144. Raise the spreader from the ground 
about an inch ; let the catch-stick hold it in this position, and 
spread the slip-noose over the toc)p-stick ; your trap is now 
ready. To attract the birds, scatter some appropriate bait in- 
side and very little outside. The birds will follow the trail of 
food up to the stretcher, and seeing the bait inside will hop 
upon the stretcher preparatory to going within. The stretcher, 
being only supported by friction where it bears against tha 



Traps and Trappings. 



221 



catch and peg, will drop under the weight of a very small bird. 
The catch loosened slips out from under the bender, and the 
spring flying suddenly back draws the slip-noose around the 
wing, legs, or neck of the unfortunate bird. Unless speedily re- 
leased by the trapper the bird will strangle or beat itself to 
death against the ground, or any objects within reach. All 
snares should be watched if the birds are wanted alive, 

Hen-Coop Trap. 

This rustic trap is ^sometimes set with an ordinary figure 
four (Fig. 138) by the colored people down South, and with 
it they catch a great many wild ducks and other water fowl. 

The coop is made of sticks piled up after the manner of a 
log cabin (Fig. 145). 
To one of the bot- 
tom sticks a withe, 
made of a green 
wand,* is attached; 
the other end is then 
brought over the top 
of the trap and at- 
tached to the bottom 
stick upon the opposite side. The withe is tightened by for- 
cing sticks under it at the top of the coop. When all is taut 
the sticks keep their positions, and unless very roughly used 

* Withes may be made of ozier, willow, alder, hazel, white birch, white cherry, 
or eyen cedar branches. 

Cut a branch or sapling, and after trimming the small branches off, place the 
small end under one foot, grasp the large end with both hands, and by a revolving 
motion twis't the wand until the fibres become loosened and the stick looks like a 
rope. Indeed it will be a vegetable rope, which, if well made, will bear considerable 
strain, and be not only serviceable in making traps, but answer for binding logs to- 
gether for a raft. Remarkably good and strong swings can be made of withes of 
woo4* 




Fig. 145.— Hen-Coop. 



222 



Autumn. 



will not slip out. Fig. 146 shows another manner of setting 
the henvcoop trap, by fastening a piece of willow or any other 
similar wood by two strings or withes to one end of the coop, 
so as to allow considerable freedom of motion to the semi-circu- 
lar arch formed by the willow, which should be small enough 

and bent in such a manner 
that all parts of the arch will 
come inside the coop. Take 
two forked sticks and make 
the straight part of one of such 
a length that it might support 
one end of the coop. Cut one 
of the forks off the second 
stick and leave about two 
inches of the other fork on 
(see B, Fig. 146). Make B 
about an inch shorter than A 
(Fig. 146). Raise the side of the coop, thrusting the crook on 
the end of B through the fork on the end of A, slip the crook 
under the edge of the coop, and push the bottom of B back in- 
side of the willow, lifting the latter,high enough to bear on the 
stick B and hold it in position. A will rest outside the coop, 
as in the illustration. A bird hopping upon the willow wand 
will cause it to sHp down ; this will displace the stick A, loosen 
the catch, prd down comes the coop, enclosing the bird. A 
rustic trap of this description can be made without the aid of 
guiy other tools than a hatchet or a knife for cutting the sticks. 




Fig. 146.— Hen-Coop Trap. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



DOGS. 

What They are Good For and How to Train Them.. 

It is true that a boy can do 
without a canine companion and 
live to enjoy Hfe, but he is al- 
most incomplete ; he lacks some- 
thing ; he has lost a gratifica- 
tion, a harmless, pleasant expe- 
rience, and the loss leaves an 
empty space in his boyhood life 
that nothing can ever quite fill 
up. A boy without a dog is 
like an unfinished story. What 
your left hand is to your right, 
a boy's dog is to the boy. More particularly is all this true of 
the lad who lives either in the country or within walking dis- 
tance of forest and stream. 

To be of any value either as a hunting dog, a watch dog 
or even a companion in one's rambles, it is absolutely necessary 
that the dog should be educated, and where there is a possibil- 
ity of doing so, it is desirable to secure a young puppy. No 
matter what your choice in breed may be, whether it is a New- 
foundland, bull, skye, greyhound, pointer, setter, or toy terrier, 
get the pup and train it yourself. 




224 Autumn. 



How to Choose a Dog. 

** Blood will tell," whether it flows in the veins of a horse, 
man, or dog. The reader can readily understand that it would 
be not only absurd but absolutely cruel to keep a Newfound- 
land, deer-hound, water-spaniel, pointer, setter, or any other 
similar breed of dog confined within the narrow limits of that 
small bit of ground attached to the city house and dignified by 
the name of a yard. It would be equally as absurd and almost 
as cruel for a farmer boy to try and keep one of those expen- 
sive, diminutive, delicate, nervous, city dogs known under the 
general title of a *' toy dog " or ''fancy breed." The agile, 
bright-eyed "■ black-and-tan," and the delicate and graceful Ital- 
ian greyhound, are full of fun, but as unreliable as beautiful. 
Thoughtless, rollicking, exquisites ! Such dogs are scarcely 
the kind either city or country boy would choose for playmates 
or companions. What most boys want is a dog that combine's 
the qualities of a boon companion and a good watch dog. By 
the latter is meant a dog whose intelligence is sufficient for it 
to discriminate between friend and foe, and whose courage will 
prompt it to attack the latter without hesitancy. It must also 
be a dog that may be taught to '' fetch " and carry, to hunt for 
rat, squirrel, or rabbit, as well as to obey and trust in its mas- 
ter. It should be so cleanly in his habits as to be unobjec- 
tionable in-doors, and should possess judgment enough to know- 
when its company is not agreeable, and at such times keep out 
of the way. 

The poodle is perhaps the best trick dog, but is disliked by 
many on account of its thick woolly coat being so difhcult to 
(keep clean. The wirey-haired Scotch terrier is a comical, intel- 
ligent animal, and a first-rate comrade for a boy. The New- 
foundland is faithful, companionable, and powerful enough to 
protect children, to whom, if there be any around the house, it 



JJogs. 225 

will become very much attached and a self-constituted guar- 
dian. The spaniel is pretty, affectionate, and docile. 

Almost all the sporting dogs make first-class watch-dogs, 
but are restless and troublesome if confined, and, as a rule, they 
are too large for the house. The shepherd is remarkably intel- 
ligent, and, when well trained, makes a trusty dog for genera] 
purposes. 

The bull, although not necessarily as fierce and vicious 
as one would suppose from its looks and reputation, still is 
hardly the dog for a pet or companion, being of a dull and 
heavy nature, and not lively enough to suit the taste of the boy 
of the period. A little of the bull mixed in the blood of an- 
other more lively breed makes a good dog, of which a thorough- 
bred bull-terrier is an example. The Rev. J. G. Wood, in 
speaking of the latter, says : 

" The skilful dog-fancier contrives a judicious mixture of 
the two breeds, and engrafts the tenacity, endurance, and daunts 
less courage of the bull-dog upon the more agile and frivolous 
terrier. Thus he obtains a dog that can do almost anything, 
and though, perhaps, it may not surpass, it certainly rivals al- 
most every other variety of dog in its accomplishments. In 
the capacity for learning tricks it scarcely yields, if it does yield/ 
at all, to the poodle. It can retrieve as well as the dog which 
is especially bred for that purpose. It can hunt the fox with 
the regular hounds, it can swim and dive as well as the New- 
foundland dog. In the house it is one of the wariest and most 
intelligent of dogs, permitting no unaccustomed footstep to 
enter ' the domains without giving warning.' " Although some 
may think the Rev. J. G. Wood to be a little too enthusi- 
astic in his description of the bull-terrier's good qualities, still 
if they have ever owned a properly trained animal of this breed, 
they will undoubtedly agree with the great naturalist so far as 
to acknowledge this particular dog to be about the best for a 



226 , Autumn. 



boy's dog. With an ardor not excelled by his young master, 
the bull-terrier will chase any sort of game, and will attack 
and fight any foe at its master's bidding. Indeed the great 
fault of this kind of dog is that it is incUned to be too quar- 
relsome among other dogs, and careful attention should be 
paid to correcting this fault, which may be entirely eradicated 
by kind and firm treatment ; but should any canine bully attack 
your pet, woe be unto him, for, unless he comes from good 
fighting stock, he will rue the day he ever picked that quarrel 

How to Train Dogs. 

First of all teach your dog that you mean exactly what you 
say, and that he must obey you. To do this you should never 
give a foolish command; but if a thoughtless order be once 
given, even though you repent it as soon as it has escaped from 
your lips, do not hesitate, but insist upon your pupil instantly 
obeying — that is, if the dog, in your judgment, understands the 
order. Never, under any circumstances, allow him to shirk, and 
even a naturally stupid pup will learn to look upon your word 
as law and not think of disobeying. 

Strict obedience to your word, whistle or slightest gesture 
once obtained, it is an easy task to finish the dog's education. 
Bear in mind that there is about as great a difference in the 
character and natural intelligence of dogs as there is in boys. 
Not only does this exist between the distinct varieties of dogs, 
but also between the different individuals of the same variety. 
All Newfoundlands possess similar characteristics, but each in- 
dividual varies considerably in intelligence, amiability, and all 
those little traits that go to make up a dog's character. I men- 
tion this fact that you may not be disappointed, or make your 
poor dog suffer because it cannot learn as fast or as much as 
some one you may know of. And here let me say, and impress 
upon your mind, that to make your dog obey, or to teach \\ 



Vogs. 227 

the most difficult trick or feat, it is seldom necessary to use the 
whip. If the dog, as he sometimes will do, knowingly and 
wilfully disobeys, the whip may be used sparingly ; one sharp 
blow is generally sufficient ; it should be accompanied with a 
reprimand in words. Never lose your patience and beat an 
animal in anger. To successfully train a dog it is necessary to 
place the greatest restraint upon your own feelings, for if you 
once give way to anger the dog will know it, and one-half your 
influence is gone. To be sure the special line of education de- 
pends upon the kind of a dog you have, and what you want him 
to do. 

The pointer or setter you may commence to teach to 
" stand," at a very early age, using first a piece of meat, prais- 
ing and petting him when he does well, and reprimanding when 
required. Do not tire your pup out, but if he does well once 
let him play and sleep before trying again. As he grows older, 
replace the meat with a dead bird. The best sportsmen of to- 
day do not allow their bird dogs to retrieve, saying that the 
** mouthing " of the dead and bloody birds affiscts the fineness of 
their noses. To bring in birds, the sportsman has following at 
his heels a cocker spaniel, large poodle, or almost any kind of 
dog, who is taught to follow patiently and obediently until 
game is killed and he receives the order to " fetch." 

To Teach a Dog to Retrieve. 

Commence with the young pup. Almost any dog will chase 
a ball and very soon learn to bring it to his master. When you 
have taught your dog to '' fetch," he may be tried with game. 
It is very probable that the first bird he brings will be badly 
** mouthed ; " that is, bitten and mangled ; to break him of this, 
prepare a ball of yarn so wound over pins that the slightest 
pressure will cause the points to protrude and prick any object 
pressed against the ball. After the dog has pricked his mout^ 



228 ' Autumn, 



once or twice with this ball he will learn to pick it up and carry 
it in the most delicate manner ; he may then be tried again with 
a bird. This time he will probably bring it to you without so 
much as ruffling a feather; but. if notwithstanding his experi- 
ence with a ball of pins your dog still ** mouths " the game, you 
must skin a bird and arrange the ball and pins inside the bird 
skin so as to prick sharply upon a light pressure ; make the dog 
** fetch " the bird skin until he is completely broken of his bad 
habit of biting or " mouthing " game. 

Pointers and Setters. 

At first you will have to give your commands by word of 
mouth, but if you accompany each command by an appropriate 
gesture, the pup will soon learn to understand and obey the 
slightest motion of the hand or head. The less noise there is 
the greater is the chance of killing game. Nothing is more un- 
sportsmanlike than shouting in a loud voice 'to your dog while 
in the field. 

After teaching a dog to '*heel," '* down charge," and to 
** hi on " at command, you may show him game and teach him 
to "quarter" his ground by moving yourself in the direction 
you wish the dog to go. The dog will not be long in under- 
standing and obeying. 

When your pointer comes to a point teach him to be steady 
by repeating softly, ''steady, boy, steady," at the same time 
holding up your hand. In course of time the words may be 
omitted ; the hand raised as a caution will keep the dog steady ; 
but should he break point and flush the game, as a young 
dog is more than liable to do, you may give him the whip and 
at the same time use some appropriate words that the dog will 
remember ; the next time the word without the whip will correct 
him. After your dog has been taught to obey, it is well to put 
him in the field with an old, well-trained dog. 



Dogs, 229 

As every sportsman has a peculiar system of his own for 
breaking a dog, it is scarcely necessary for me to give more 
than these few hints ; only let me again caution you against 
using the whip too often. Spare the lash and keep a good 
stock of patience on hand ; otherwise in breaking the dog you 
will also break his spirit and have a mean, treacherous animal 
that will slink and cringe at your slightest look, but seldom 
obey you when he thinks he is out of reach of the dreaded whip. 

Pet Dogs. 

All dogs, whether intended for the field, for pets, or for com- 
panions, should be taught to follow at their master's heels at the 
command of "heel," to run ahead at the command of *' hi 
on," and to drop at the command of ** charge" or "down 
charge." When your dog learns to obey these simple com- 
mands, it will be found an easy matter to extricate and keep 
your canine friend out of scrapes. Suppose you have a small 
but pugnacious dog and in your walk you meet a large, ugly- 
tempered brute much too powerful for your own dog to master in 
the fight that is certain to ensue unless by some command you 
can prevent it. The strange dog will not obey you, but if you 
give the order to " heel" to your own dog he will follow with 
his nose at your heels, and the enemy will seldom if ever attack 
a dog while so near his master. 

Study the characteristics of your dog, and by taking advan- 
tage of its peculiarities it may be taught many amusing tricks. 
I have a little dog called Monad, and whether his master walks, 
drives, sails or rows Monad always accompanies him, .even sit- 
ting in front of the sliding seat of a single shell boat for hours 
at a time, perfectly happy and apparently conscious of the at- 
tention he attracts from all people on the shore or in the pass- 
ing boats ; the latter he generally salutes with a bark. Monad 
will, when requested to do so, close a door, sneeze, bark, or sit 



230 Autumn, 



upon his haunches and rub his nose, besides numerous othef 
amusing tricks. 

One day Monad smelled of a lighted cigar ; the smoke in- 
haled caused him to sneeze ; this gave me an idea; lighting a 
match I held it toward him, at the same time repeating, 
** sneeze ! sneeze, sir ! " The smoke made him sneeze, and after 
repeating the operation several times I held out an unlighted 
match and commanded him to sneeze ; the dog sneezed at 
once. It was then an easy step to make him sneeze at the 
word without the match. Monad is now very proud of this 
accomplishment, and when desirous of ''showing off" always 
commences by sneezing. 

In much the same manner I taught him to rub his nose by 
blowing in his face and repeating the words, *' rub your nose." 
The breath coming in contact with that sensitive organ appa- 
rently tickled it and he would rub it with his paws. After one 
or two trials he learned to rub his little black nose in a very 
comical manner whenever commanded to do so. By patting 
your leg with your hand and at the same time calling your dog, 
it will learn to come to you and place his fore paws against your 
leg. If you take advantage of this and pat the door the next 
time with your hand, the dog will stand on its hind legs and rest 
its fore paws against the door. Reward him with a bit of meat 
or a caress, and then opening the door a few inches go through 
with the same performance, giving the command to close the 
door ; by degrees, as the dog learns, open the door wider, and 
without moving from your chair or position in the room give 
the command, '' close the door, sir." The dog will by this 
time understand your meaning, and resting his fore paws 
against the panels, follow the door until it closes with a bang. 
Perhaps there is no simple trick that excites more surprise than 
this. A friend comes in and leaves the door open ; you rise, 
greet your friend, ask him to be seated ; then, as if for the first 



Dogs, 231 

time noticing the fact of the door being open, speak to your dog ; 
the latter closes the door and lies down again by the fireside in 
a most methodical mannei. The friend is thoroughly convinced 
that that particular dog has more sense than any other canine 
in the world, and ever after, when dogs are the topic of con- 
versation, he will tell the story of the dog that shut the door. 

In the same manner innumerable odd, amusing, or useful 
tricks may be taught, among the simplest of which are the ones 
which excite the most applause from spectators. If your dog 
is fond of carrying a stick in his mouth, it will be an easy 
matter to make him carry a basket. Take advantage of every 
peculiarity of your pet's character, encouraging and developing 
the good points, but keeping the bad traits subdued, and you 
will soon have an amusing and reasoning canine companion. 

Never throw a dog into the water; it frightens him and 
makes the poor animal dread a bath. Let the dog wade at 
first ; then by throwing sticks or other objects a little further 
out each time, and commanding him to fetch, the dog will 
not only learn to swim after the object, but also learn to thor- 
oughly enjoy the bath, and can even be taught to dive and jump 
off of high places. There are dogs that will jump from an 
elevation twelve feet above the water. Always be firm but 
kind; teach your dog to have confidence in you, and you may 
place implicit trust in your canine friend, and be sure whatevei* 
misfortune befalls you, you will have a friend who, though he 
be a four-footed one, will never forsake you, but live and (5ie 
for the master it has learned to love and trust. 



CHAPTER XXV. i 

PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY FOR BOYS. 

To the practical naturalist a knowledge of taxidermy is 
nov only an interesting accomplishment from which to derive 
amusement, but is almost an absolute necessity, an indispensa- 
ble adjunct to his profession. Probably there is no study the 
pursuit of which affords such opportunities for physical exer- 
cise and real healthy enjoyment as that of natural history. It is 
a study that, by broadening the horizon of thought, enlarges 
the capacity for pleasure. To the pride of the sportsman in 
exhibiting the results of his skill and success, the naturalist adds 
the intelligent pleasure of acquiring a more complete knowl- 
edge of the life and habits, nature and anatomy of his trophies, 
as well as the ability to detect at a glance any unknown genus 
or rare variety he may capture ; and here the practical knowl- 
edge of taxidermy enables him to properly preserve the other 
wise perishable specimen. 

Captain Thomas Brown, F.L.S., says that boys ought to be 
instructed in the art of stuffing birds and mammals. So, boys, 
you have good authority for commencing young ; but do not 
suppose that after reading the following directions you can sit 
down, and, without any previous experience, set up a bird as 
neatly and perfectly as one of those you see in the museums or 
show windows. On the contrary, you must expiect to make 
one or two dismal failures, but each failure will teach you what 
to avoid in the next attempt. 

Let us suppose an owl has been lowering around suspi- 



Practical Taxidermy for Boys, 233 



ciously near the pigeon house or chicken coop, and that you 
have shot the rascal. Do not throw him away. What a splen- 
did ornament he will make for the library ! How appro- 
priate that wise old face of his will 
be peering over the top of the 
book-case ! (Fig. I47). He must be 
skinned and stuffed ! With a damp 
sponge carefully remove any blood- 
stains there may be upon his plum- 
age. Plug up the mouth and nos- 
trils with cotton ; also insert cotton 
in all the shot holes, to prevent any 
more blood oozing out and soiling 
the feathers. You may then lay 
him aside in some cool place until 
you are ready to begin the opera- 
tion of skinning and stuffing the owl. 

Measure the length of the bird, following the curves of the 
form, from root of tail to top of head, and its girth about the 
body ; make a note of these figures. 




Fig. 147. — Stuffed and Mounted. 



Skinning. 

Place the bird on its back upon the table, in such a position 
that the head will be toward your left hand; then, with the 
knife in your right hand you are ready to make the incision. 

With your left hand separate the feathers, left and right, from- 
the apex of the breast-bone to the tail (Fig. 148). Cut a 
straight slit through the skin between these points, using the 
utmost care to prevent me knife penetrating the flesh or the 
inner skin which encloses the intestines. With a bird as large 
as the owl, you will find that you can easily separate the skin 
from the flesh with your fingers, though it may be best to use 
a blunt instrument, such as a small ivory paper-cutter, to reach 



234 



Autumn, 



the back Dy passing it underneath the skin. In removing the 
skin you must try to shove in lieu of puUIng, lest you stretch 
it out of shape. Press as lightly as possible upon the birdy 
stopping occasionally to take a view to see that ^11 is right 
and that the feathers are not being soiled or broken. When 
you come to the head do not let the skin dangle from your 
hand or its own weight will stretch it. Bearing these things in 
mind, you can commence removing the skin in the following 

manner : Press 
the skin apart 
at the incision, 
and dust the ex- 
posed part with 
Indian meal to 
absorb any flu- 
ids that may 
escape ; c a r e - 
fully Hft the skin 
on one side and 
separate from 
muscles of the 
breast with the 

point of your knife and a small ivory paper-folder alternately, 
as occasion may require, until the leg is reached and you have 
approached as near as possible to the wings. Having accom- 
plished this, and dusted again with the Indian meal, the thighs 
must be pressed inward and the skin turned back far enough tc 
allow you to use your knife and disarticulate the hip-joint. 
Bend the tail toward the back ; keep down the detached skin 
upon each side of the incision with the thumb and first finger 
of the left hand ; then with your knife make a deep cut, expos- 
ing the backbone at a point near the oil gland, which you will 
find near the root of the tail : sever the backbone near this 




Fig. I 



The Incision. 



Practical Taxidermy for Boys. 235 

point, but be careful to leave a large enough piece of it to sup- 
port the tail feathers. 

Take the part of the body which is now denuded of the skin 
in the left hand and peel the skin upward to the wings ; during 
this operation your knife or small scissors may be used to 
cut any of the tendons which are met with. Separate the 
wings from the body at the shoulder-joint. Next turn your 
attention to the head and neck. Push the skin back toward 
the head, after the manner of removing a kid glove from the 
finger, until the back part of the skull is laid bare ; then with 
your knife detach the vertebrae (neck bone) from the head. 
This will sever all connection between the body and the skin. 
The dismembered, denuded carcass may be thrown aside and 
your attention turned to skinning the head, which member in 
an owl is so large in proportion to the neck that care must be 
used in drawing the skin of the neck over it, lest you stretch 
the skin. A great deal depends upon the delicacy of your 
touch, especially when you reach the eyes. Work slowjy ; cut 
the ears close to the skull ; do not cut either the eyelid or the 
eyeball, but separate them carefully ; then remove the eyes, 
which can be done by breaking the slender bones which sepa- 
rate the orbits (eye-holes) in the skull from the top of the 
mouth. Cut away all flesh from the neck ; at the same time 
remove a small portion of the base of the skull. Through the. 
opening thus made extract the brains with a small spoon or 
some similar instrument, after which draw the tongue through 
the same cavity. After removing all fleshy particles from the 
head and neck, and scraping out the eye-holes, paint them 
with arsenical soap and stufl" them tightly with cotton. Be 
careful not to detach the skin from the bill, as the skull must 
be left in place. Coat the interior of the skull with arsenical 
"oap and fill it with tow. 

The wings and legs §till remain intact. Push back the wings 



236 



Autumn. 



to the first joint ; lay the bones bare, removing all the meat 
Paint with arsenical soap and return them to their places. Go 
through the same process with the legs and rump ; and after all 
flesh and fatty matter have been removed, paint the whole inte- 
rior of the skin thoroughly with arsenical soap, and you are 
ready to begin the operation of 

Stuffing. 
Take a piece of straight wire (size 20) equal in length to the 
measurement you made from root of tail to top of head ; wind 

about it a bunch of excelsior 
(straw will answer as a sub- 
stitute for excelsior shav- 
ings) ; secure this to the wire 
by repeated wrappings of 
stout thread, and mould the 
bundle into a shape resemb- 
ling the bird's body ; regu- 
late the girth by the measure- 
ment you noted down for 
that purpose before you com- 
menced the skinning process. 
When you have completed 
the artificial body there will, 
of course, be a portion of the 




Fig. 149.— Owl-Skin and False Body. 



wire still bare, which represents the neck. File the extremity 
of this wire to a sharp point, then force it diagonally up through 
the skull to the top, where it must be clinched ; wrap the neck 
wire between the artificial body and the head with cotton bat- 
ting (Fig. 149). Now draw the skin back so as to cover the 
artificial neck and body. 

The eyelids must be carefully pulled in place over the cot 
ton in the eye-holes, or orbits • pull the eyelids up nicely, to 



Practical Taxidermy for Boys, 237 



make the parts about the eye appear plump and natural. Push 
more cotton down the throat until it has a round, real look. For 
the legs use two pieces of wire, each sharpened 
at one end. The taxidermist must shove the 



wire 



through the 



ball of the foot and guide it 




Fig. 



150. — Wiring 
the Leg. 



with the other hand up along the side of the 

bones of the leg, the skin being turned back 

for that purpose (Fig. 150). This figure shows 

the leg with skin turned back, as it appears 

when the wire is pushed through. 

Wind cotton around both wire and bone 

to the natural thickness of the thigh, and go 

through the same process with the other leg ; 

then push the wires clear through the artificial 

body and bend the protruding ends into a hook 

form (Fig. 151). Taking hold at the part ex- 
tending from the bottom of the foot, pull the 

wire of each leg down until the hooks fasten firmly into the 

body. The ends of the 
wires protruding from 
the foot are left to fas- 
ten the bird to its 
perch, which is done 
either by wrapping 
the wires around the 
perch or by thrusting 
them through holes 
made for the purpose 
and clinching the 
ends. With a few- 
stitches sew up the 
hole in the breast. For 
After your owl is set uf in 




Fig. 151.- 



-Showing how Leg-Wire is attached to False 
Body. 



bmall birds this is not necessarv. 



238 



Autumn. 



this manner, gather the wings up close to the body and fasten 
them there by thrusting two wires, one from each side, diagon- 
ally through the skin of the second joint. 

If you wish the tail to be spread you must push a wire 
across the body through each feather. 

Eyes can be made of white marbles painted yellow with 
black centres, but glass eyes are better and cost very little. To 
fix the eyes, put a touch of glue upon the cotton in each orbit 
and insert the glass eyes, being careful to place them properly 
under the eyelids ; with a sharp needle pull the lids nicely in 
place. 

The stuffing of the bird is now finished, and it may be placed 
upon the branch in some natural position (Fig. 147, page 233). 
The attitude fixed, it only remains to 
put the feathers in their natural order as 
smoothly and regularly as possible, and to 
keep them in place by winding a thread 
over the body very loosely, beginning at 
the head and winding until all the feathers 
are secured (Fig. 152). The bird must be 
left in some dry place for several days. 
When it is perfectly dry the thread may be 
taken off and all protruding wires cut close 
to the body. The specimen is now ready 
for the parlor or library. 

The above directions, with very little 

modification, will serve for any other bird. 

Fig. 152. por practice, a chicken is the best subject, 

as it is easily obtained and large enough not to be readily 

damaged by the awkwardness of a beginner. 

The more tools you have the better, but if my reader has 
carefully read the foregoing description he must have noticed 
that during the whole process of skinning and stuffing the owl 




Practical Taxidermy for Boys, 239 

the only tools used were such as are within the reach o! 
every boy — a penknife, a paper-cutter, small spoon (a mustard- 
spoon will answer), and a thread and needle. Arsenical soap is 
the only material used not likel}^ to be easily procured. This 
preparation is of course very poisonous and should be so labelled. 
It can be procured of any taxidermist or made by any drug 
gist from the following recipe of Becoeur ; 

Arsenic in powder 2 pounds. 

Camphor 5 ounces. 

White soap 2 pounds. 

Salt of tartar 12 ounces. 

Powdered lime 4 ounces. 

Mr. J. Wallace, the taxidermist, recommends the following 
recipe: *' Dissolve ten pounds of finely cut, best white soap 
in warm water ; add one pound of potash ; thicken with pipe- 
clay and a little lime to give the preparation body ; heat and 
stir well. When cooling add ten pounds of arsenic." Of course 
the young beginner will not need any such quantity as is repre- 
sented in either of these recipes, but if he goes to the druggist 
that gentleman can make the soap in any quantity desired. The 
utmost care must be observed in handling this preparation and 
keeping it out of the reach of children and animals, although it 
is not very tempting in taste or looks and hence not as danger- 
ous as other compounds might be, 

A New Manner of Preserving Fish. 

The boys at school used to say, " You cannot eat your 
apple and keep it." Being not only fond of fishing and fish, 
but also taking an interest in the study of ichthyology, the 
question with me has been, How can I eat my fish and still pre^ 



240 



AMtumn. 



serve it for future reference ? A few experiments and several 
failures suggested a plan which has proved partially successful. 
Having caught a very large bass or trout that you would 
like to preserve as a trophy, or some odd-looking fish that you 
want to keep as a specimen, the following is the plan to adopt : 
Place your fish upon a piece of paper of any kind you may 
have, or a piece of birch bark ; spread out the fins and trace a 
careful and accurate outline ; then with your pocket-knife re- 
move the tail at a point just beyond its junction with the body 
of the fish ; in the same manner cut off the fins, being careful 
not to injure them ; a small portion of flesh will be attached to 

each ; this must be re- 
moved with your knife. 
Put the fins in a safe 
place, and again taking 
your knife, insert the 
blade under the gill and 
cut up to the centre of 

FIG. 153-Portfolio of Fish. ^j^^ ^^p Qf ^l^g j^g^^ . gpij^ 

the head down in a line exactly on the top to the upper jaw ; 
carefully cut through this and the lower jaw to where the gill 
commences underneath ; this will sever the whole side of the 
head. Cut away all the flesh from the inside and remove all 
the bony structures possible without injuring the outside. The 
eyes can be removed so as to leave the outside skin or covering 
unbroken. Wash the half of the head clean and put that with 
the fins in your note-book, taking care to leave a leaf of paper 
between each, to prevent their adhering together. 

When you reach home you can have the fish cooked, and 
while it is cooking trace the outline of the fish upon a clean 
sheet of white paper ; take the fins, head and tail from your 
note-book, dampen them with a sponge or wet cloth, and with 
glue or mucilage fasten them in their proper places upon the 




Practical Taxidermy for Boys, 241 * 

outline drawing, distended by means of pins ; the latter may 
be removed after the glue or mucilage is dry ; write in one 
corner the weight of the fish, the date upon which it was 
caught, and the name of the place where it was captured. You 
can then frame it or number the sheet and place it in a port- 
folio (Fig. 153). In the course of a season's fishing quite an 
interesting and valuable portfolio of fishes can be made. The 
•writer has often caught fish whose names were unknown to 
him, and in this manner preserved them, or enough of them 
to identify the fish at some future period when he had time to 
look it up. 




Diagram Showing the Parts of a Fish. — A, first dorsal fin ; B, second dorsal fin ; 
C, caudal fin ; D, pectoral fin ; E, ventral fin ; F, anal fin ; b, operculum or gill 
cover proper ; a, preoperculum or fore-gill cover ; d, interoperculum, or middle gill 
cover ; c, suboperculum, or under gill cover ; e, branchiostegous, or gill rays ; f, lateral 
line. 



Design for a Sketching Aquarium. 

If the reader desire to try his artistic skill and attempt a 
colored drawing of a fish, he should do it from life. To see the 
fish as it really appears, a very simple contrivance can be made 
in the form of an aquarium, with wooden ends and glass sides ; 
the wooden ends must have perpendiqular grooves in them sq 



242 



Autumn, 



that an extra pane of glass can be used as a slide (Fig. 154), 
Place the live fish in the aquarium, and when he is on one side 
of it quickly slip the slide in so as to im- 
prison the fish in such a narrow space 
that he is unable to flop or turn around, 
but must patient- 
ly keep his broad- 
side to the artist 
until the picture 
is finished. 




i 



Fig. 154. — Cross Section of 
a Sketching Aquarium. 



Preserving In- 
sects. 

Great care 
must be taken in 
killing insects, in- 




tended for the cabinet, and death should 
be produced without disfiguring them 
or rubbing off the down or scales that 
covers the bocjies and wings of some 
specimens. A convenient and success- 
ful way to kill insects is to drop them 
into a wide-mouthed bottle, the bottom 
of which is lined with blotting-paper 
that has been previously saturated with 
ether, benzine, creosote or chloroform. 
When a butterfly, bug, or beetle is put 
into a bottle prepared in this manner, 
and the bottle tightly corked, the insect 
expires without a struggle, and hence 
without injuring itself From the bottle 
the specimens may be taken and pinned upon a mounting- 
board, consisting of two strips of wood resting upon supports at 




Fig. 155. — ^Mounting-Board, 



Practical Taxidermy for Boys. 



243 



each end, a space being left between the strips for the body of 
the insect. Under this space or crack a piece of cork is fastened 
(Fig. 155) in which to stick the point of the pin. After pin- 
ning the specim^^n to the mounting-board, spread the wings and 

Fig. 157. 





Beetle, with legs set. 



(S 



Fig 



-Butterfly pinned to Mounting- 
Board. 



Leg-pin. 



legs out in a natural position, and if it be a butterfly or moth, 
fasten its wings in position with bits of paper and pins, as shown 
in Fig. 156. An ingenious and simple device for pinning the 
leg of an insect is illustrated by Fig. 157. It consists of two 
needles with their heads driven into a small pine stick. 

Morse Insect Box. 
Mr. E. S. Morse gives probably the best device for arrang- 
ing an insect box for the cabinet. It consists of a light wooden 
frame with paper 
stretched upon the 
upper and under sur- 
face. Dampen the 
paper and glue it to 

the frame * when the ^\C 158. — Cross Section of Morse Insect Box. 

paper dries it will contract and become as tight as a drum-head. 
Inside the box upon two sides fasten cleats, and let their top 
edges be about one-quarter of an inch above the bottom. Rest 



L 



fe=^ 



TBrn 



244 



Autumn, 



the paper-covered frame upon these cleats and secure it in posi- 
tion. The bottom of the box should be Hned with soft pine to 
receive the points of the pins. The space under the frame can 
be dusted with snuff and camphor to keep out such insects as 
delight to feed upon the prepared specimens of their relatives. 
Fig. 158 shows a cross section of a box upon Mr. Morse's plan. 

The La"wrence Breeding Box. 

The best moths and butterflies are obtained by rearing the 
caterpillars in cages made for the purpose. I am indebted to 
Mr. Albert Lawrence for the accompanying plan of a larvae 
box, invented and used by himself for several seasons (see Fig. 




Fig. 159. — Mr. Albert Lawrence's Breeding Box. 

159). The Lawrence box, as may be seen by the diagram, 
can be taken apart and packed away when not in use or during 
transportation. 

The sides, ends, and top are wooden frarnes covered with 
wire netting ; the bottom is a flat board. They are all joined 
by hooks and screw-eyes. To take them apart it is only neces- 
sary to unfasten the hooks. 



Practical Taxidermy for Boys, 245 



Spiders 
are very likely to lose their colors if placed in spirits, and if 
pinned and dried like beetles they will' not only lose all color, 
but their bodies will shrivel up and change in form and proportion 
to such a degree as to make the specimens next to worthless. 
Mr. Ralph Hemingray, of Covington, Ky., sent the author some 
spider bottles manufactured under his direction of ^ery thick, 
clear, white glass, three inches high by one 
and one-quarter inch broad, and three- 
(^uarters of an inch thick. These bottles 
are convenient in shape, and when a spi- 
der is put in one and the bottle filled with 
jjlycerine, the spider looks as if it might 
be imbedded in a solid block of crystal. 

I have had some brightly colored gar- 
den spiders preserved in this manner for 
Kwo years, and they have not only retained fig. i6o 
liheir original shape but color also. In the 
place of corks, pieces of elastic are stretched over the tops of 
the bottles ; this allows the glycerine to expand or contract. 
Fig. 160 represents a drawing of one of these bottles with a 
spider in it. A case of specimens preserved in this manner 
makes not only an interesting cabinet, but a very pretty one. 
Although many persons have a horror of spiders, they lose all 
their nervousness when the insects are seen neatly labelled and 
enclosed in pretty glass bottles. 




-The Hemingray 
Bottle. 



Ho"W to Make Beautiful or Comical Groups and Designs 

of Insects. 
Many really beautiful, as well as some absurdly. comical de- 
signs can be made of properly preserved insects by ingenious lads. 
Butterflies may be made to have the appearance of hovering 
in mid-air by mounting them upon extremely fine wire. 



246 Autumn. 



Grasshoppers can be arranged in comical, human-like atti- 
tudes. ^ 

Beetles may be harnessed like horses to a tiny car made of 
the half of an English walnut-shell. A very pretty design can 
be made by seating a grasshopper in a delicate sea-shell of 
some kind, and glueing the shell to a bit of looking-glass; fine 
wires attached to the shell will answer the double purpose of a 
support and harness for a couple of flying beetles ; a little moss 
glued around the sides so as to conceal the ragged edges of the 
glass will add greatly to the effect, and the whole will have the 
appearance of a fairy boat being drawn over the surface of the 
water by two flying beetles, guided by the long-legged imp in 
the shell. 

Preserved insects are exceedingly brittle, the least touch 
will often break off a wing or leg or otherwise disfigure the specie 
men, hence it is necessary not only to be very careful in hand- 
ling them, but to supply some sort of cover to protect them 
from accidents, dust, and injurious insects. Dome-shape glass- 
covers are best adapted for small groups or compositions, and 
these may be obtained from the dealers at moderate prices, or, 
if the young taxidermist has acquired sufficient skill to make his 
work valuable, he can readily trade off duplicate specimens for 
glass-covers, as many amateurs as well as some professionals 
do. 

Marine Animals. 

Starfish must be first placed in fresh water and allowed to 
remain there for several hours ; they may then be removed and 
spread out upon a board, and held in position by pins or nails 
driven in the board alongside of the rays, but not into the 
creature. Put the board in a dry place out of the sun, and the 
air v/ill absorb all the moisture in the specimens ; the latter, as 
they dry, become hard and stiff. 

I have several starfish preserved in this simple manner, and 



Practical Taxider^ny for Boys, 247 

although no pickle or artificial preservative was used, they have 
kept in good condition for several years. 

Small crabs may be dried in the same manner. The flesh 
must be extracted from the big pincers of the larger crabs and 
lobsters ; this may be done by breaking off the points of the 
pincers and removing the meat with a crooked wire. The 
points of the claws should be saved and glued in place after the 
animal is dry. The smaller claws may be allowed to dry ; small 
lioles pierced in them will allow the air to enter and facilitate 
the drying process. The insides of both lobsters and large 
crabs must be removed from an opening made underneath. 
Wash them with cold water and inject carbolic acid and water 
into their extremities ; place them upon a board to dry, with 
their legs spread out ; after all moisture has evaporated, varnish 
them and fasten the bodies and legs of the specimens to a 
board with fine wires. 

All soft-bodied animals, such as squids and slugs, can be pre- 
served in spirits. Sea-urchins, such as are found i/pon our coast, 
may be dried like starfish, but it is best to remove the insides 
of the larger specimens. 

With these suggestions, sufficient to help the young taxider- 
mist, I will close this chapter. I havo purposely avoided ad- 
vising the use of expensive material or tools ; where it was possi- 
ble, I have not suggested the use of poisonous preservatives, 
but have given the most simple and safe methods of mounting 
specimens for the cabinet or for decorations. 



} 



Egg Blow-pipe and Drill. 



CHAPTER XXVI, 



EVERY BOY A DECORATIVE ARTIST. 

Shadow Pictures — Photographic Paper — How to Enlarge 
or Reduce a Picture, etc. 

One day while the author was sketching, a piece of draw- 
ing-paper happened to fall upon the ground in the bright 

sunlight. As the paper 
rested on the sward the 
shadows of the grass and 
weeds were cast upon it. 
How beautiful and grace- 
ful they were ! Stooping 
down the writer passed his 
brush over the shadows ; 
the result was a sort of 
half silhouette, an excellent 
suggestion for a bit of fore- 
ground or a decoration. If 
the thousands of amateur 
decorators that are daily en- 
gaged in daubing pictures 
of all manner of unnatural- 
looking plants upon china 
would only confine them- 

FiG. i6i.— Shadow cast by a Dandelion. selvCS tO tracing in OnC Col- 

or the simple shadows cast by plants in the sunlight, what 
graceful and pleasing designs Mother Nature would furnish 




Every Boy a Decorative Artist 249 



them ! How much more pleasant it would be to eat off dishes 
decorated in this manner than to be called upon ♦o admire and 
eat from china covered with 
"finiky" little flowers or 
broad, meaningless daubs of 
color intended to represent 
something only known to 
the artist (?) who conceived 
the design. Any boy can 
make the most graceful de- 
signs by placing a piece of 
paper in such a position 
that the shadow of a flower 
or fern shall fall upon it. 
Then with a small paint 
brush and some ink he may 
carefully paint in the shadow 
just as it falls upon the pa- 
per. Fig. 161 shows a dan- 
delion, a fac- simile of a 
sketch made in the manner 
just described. Fig. 162 is 
an anemone. Not only can 
beautiful designs be made, 
but valuable sets of botani- 
cal sketches can be obtained 
in this manner, as no skill is 
required with the brush ; all that is necessary is to follow the 
shadow on the paper. 

A wooden frame or stretcher might be used with a candle 
or lamp at night. By tacking the paper over the stretcher, then 
placing a pot or vase containing plants in front of the light and 
the stretcher in front of the plants, the shadows of the plants 




Fig. 162. — Shadow cast by an Anemone. 



250 ' Autumn. 



will be thrown upon the paper and show through, so that they 
can be painted upon the opposite side of the paper without any 
danger of moving either the light or plants, 

. At most of the artists' material stores in New York there is 
to be found for sale a sensitive paper which changes color when 
exposed to the light. If a shadow be cast upon this paper by 
some object between it and the sunlight, the paper will grow 
lighter in color all around the shadow, and in a few moments 
the shadow is marked distinctly by the difference in tints. At 
this stage the paper, which is of a dark blue color, may be re- 
moved, and if it be held under a stream of water the parts that 
were covered by the shadow will become white and remain so. 
I have before me a photograph of a large dragon-fly, which 
shows all the beautiful network of veins in the wings of that in- 
„sect traced in the most delicate white lines upon a background 
of dark blue. I allowed the dragon-fly to rest for a few mo- 
ments upon a piece of sensitive paper and then quickly placed 
the paper under a hydrant, with the result described. 

Photographic paper is not expensive, quite a large sized 
sheet costing only fifty cents. Many pretty experiments can 
be tried with*this material. 

How to Enlarge or Reduce by Squares. 

Suppose you have a picture of a horse and want to enlarge 
it. First draw a line under its feet, and at right angles with this 
line draw another line in front of the horse's head ; divide these 
lines into equal parts and then carefully rule lines across from 
these points so as to intersect each other at right angles, as 
illustrated by Fig. 163. When the horse is all enclosed in 
squares, take another piece of paper and make exactly the 
same number of large squares on the paper as there are smaller 
ones on the horse picture ; number the squares on both as in 



Every Boy a Decorative Artist 251 






i 


i 


~ 








n 




L 












^ 


1 \ 




1 


r 


\ 




i'F 




.] 


L % 


\ ,' 


L„4 


k 1 


} < 


^ 1 



the diagrams (Fig. 163). If you will look at the top diagram 
you will see that the horse's head cuts off one corner of the 
upper left hand corner square ; with your pencil make a line 
cutting off the same part of the corresponding large square ; 
curve the line like the copy. By again referring to the horse 
picture you will notice that the line of the 
neck continued strikes exactly at the inter- 
section of the lines i and 2 ; draw it so. 
The next point the line touches just above 
is the intersection of the lines 2 and 3 ; 
from this point the line of the back runs 
almost straight to the 
point on the tail at the 
intersection of the lines 
2 and 6 ; thus, by find- 
ing and connecting the 
points of intersection 
you may reproduce the 
whole horse as illustrat- 
ed by the diagram. In 
a similar manner a 
landscape, figure piece 
or a plan can be accu- 
rately enlarged by a 
boy who may have little 
or no talent for drawing, 
but who for some purpose wishes to reproduce a'picture or plan. 
By making the squares on your drawing-paper exactly the same 
size as those upon the picture, you can draw a fac-simile of the 
picture, and by making the squares smaller you may reduce a 
picture. Remember these hints, for when I tell you how to 
make a puppet show, although a pattern for each puppet is 
drawn, there is not Space in a book of this size to make all 




4 e Q 

Fig. 163. — Enlargement by Squares. 



252 



Autumn 



the puppets large enough, and manybr all may have to be 
enlarged. 

How to Make a Camera for Drawing. 

This instrument necessitates an outlay of from fifty cents to 
a dollar and a half for a lens ; unless the reader is fortunate 
enough to already possess a double convex lens, or what is 
known among boys as a "burning-glass." A small mirror or 
piece of looking-glass, a small pane of common window glass-, 

and an old soap 
or candle box, 
or some pine 
lumber of 
which to make 
a box, is all the 
material re- 
quired. 

Let the box 
be about eigh- 
teen inches 
long, nine inches deep, and twelve inches wide ; fasten the lens 
in a hole cut for that purpose at one end of the box. A piece 
of looking-glass must be fixed at an angle of forty -five degrees 
at the opposite end of the box. . The angle may be obtained 
in this manner : if from where the top of the glass rests against 
the end board, it measures nine inches to the bottom of tht 
box, then the bottom of the glass should be nine inches fron; 
the end of the box. 

Grind the surface of one side of the window-pane glass by 
rubbing it upon a flat stone or sand-paper. Make a lid to the 
top of the box, as shown in the illustration, and under the lid 
fasten the ground glass. Paint or blacken the inside of the box, 
and adjust the parts by experiment, so that when the lens is 




Camera for Drawing. 



Every Boy a Decorative Artist 253 

turned toward any object, that object will be immediately re- 
flected upon the piece of ground glass. No great difficulty 
need be anticipated by any one in the adjustment of the parts 
of a camera obscura, as it can be easily arrived at by trial. 

If a piece of drawing-paper be placed over the ground glass, 
and the lens turned toward some object, that object will be re- 
flected upon the glass and shown through the paper in all its 
natural colors, strong enough to be accurately traced and re- 
produced. 

In this manner considerable amusement and instruction can 
be derived from a home-made camera obscura. 

If one of these instruments be taken into a darkened room, 
and the lens allowed to point out through the window, every- 
thing that passes the house will be reflected upon the ground 
glass, making a sort of moving, colored, puppet show. 



IPintef 



jm. 




Fig. 164. — Snow-Fort commenced. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

SNOWBALL WARFARE. 

How to Build Snow-Forts — How to Make Shields and 
Ammunition Sleds. 

Cold gray clouds have long since usurped the heavens and 
driven away the white, fleecy summer cumulus ; the latter, like 
the birds, have gone to more congenial climes. For several 
weeks past heavy overcoats have been in demand. 

The rowing season has closed ; the baseball bats and lawn 
tennis rackets are stowed away, and the college boys have set- 
tled down to study and in-door gymnasium practice. 

In the cities the car and stage drivers swing their arms 
about and beat their muffled chests in a vain effort to start the 
blood to circulating in their benumbed fingers. Each pas- 
senger, as he reads the morning paper, exhales two streams 
of mist from his nostrils. The horses puff larger streams oi 
17. 



258 Winter. 



steam and wear chest protectors. Everybody appears unhappy 
except the school-boy. The latter's cheeks glow with more 
than usual color and his eyes sparkle as if with inward merri- 
ment, for he knows the signs, and the dull, leaden sky to him 
is only a promise of a big snow storm and '' lots of fun." The 
frost king has arrived and introduced jolly old Winter. Every 
boy knows that no season of the year can boast of more 
healthy out-door games, brimful of fun and excitement, than 
winter, and that there is no sport among winter games more 
exciting and amusing than snowball warfare. The interest 
and fun of the game is greatly enhanced if there be a fort to 
capture or defend. 

How to Build the Fort. 

All the boys must join in building the fort, selecting the 
highest point of the play-grounds, or, if the grounds be level, 
the corner of a wall or fence. Supposing the top of a mound 
has been selected as the place where the works are to be built, 
the first thing to do is to make out the plan of the foundation. 
The dimensions depend upon the number of boys. A circle 
twelve feet in diameter, or a square with sides of ten feet, will 
make a fort that will accommodate a company of ten boys. It 
is better to have the fort too small than too large. The chief 
engineer must set his men to rolling large snowballs ; the 
smaller boys can commence them and the larger ones take the 
balls in hand when they have gained in size and become too 
heavy for the younger boys. 

Make these balls of snow as large and dense as possible ; 
then roll them in place upon the lines traced out for the foun- 
dation. We will suppose it to be a square. In this case, care 
must be taken to have the corners of the square opposite the 
most probable approach of the enemy. This will leave the 
smallest point possible exposed to the attack, and the inmates 



Snowball fVarfare. 



259 



of the fort can, without crowding each other, take good aim at 
the foe. After the four- sides of the square are covered by 
large snowballs, as in Fig. 164, all hands must pack the snow 
about the bottom and fill up each crack and crevice until a 
solid wall is formed. Then with spades and shovels the walls 
Siiould be trimmed down to a perpendicular on the inside, but 
slanting upon the outside, as shown in Fig. 165. The top of 
the wall may be two feet broad and the base four feet. When 




Fig, 165.— Snow Fort finished. 

the wall is finished, prepare a mound of snow in the centre of 
the square for the flag-staff. This mound will be very useful 
IS a reserve supply in case the ammunition gives out. A 
quantity of snowballs should next be piled up, inside the 
walls, at the four corners. This done, the fort is ready for its 
defenders, and it only remains to equip the attacking force. 

The building of a fort generally uses up all the snow around 
it, making it necessary for the besieging party to carry their 
ammunition with them upon sleds made for that purpose. 

The construction of these sleds is very simple, the materials 



26o 



Winter. 



and tools necessary consisting of a flour-barrel, a saw, a hat 
chet, some shingle nails and an old pine board. 



How to Make an Ammunition Sled. 

To make the sled, begin by knocking the barrel apart, being 
careful not to split the head-boards, as they will be needed 
afterward. Pick out the four best staves, as nearly alike in 
breadth and curve as can be found, and saw two or three of the 
other staves in halves. Take two of the four staves first se- 
lected and nail the half 
staves across, as shown 
in Fig. i66. These 
must be nailed upon 
the convex, or outside, 
of the staves ; this will 
be found impossible 
unless there is some- 
thing solid under th^ 
point where the nail 




Fig. i66. — Top of Ammunition Sled. 



is to be driven, otherwise the spring of the stave, when struck, 
will throw the nail out, and your fingers will probably receive 
the blow from the hammer. To avoid this, place a block, 
or anything that is firm, under the point where the nail is 
to be driven, and there will then be found no difficulty in 
driving the nails home. When this is done you will have the 
top of your sled as shown in Fig. i66 ; on this you will need a 
box or bed to hold the snowballs ; this you can make of two 
pieces of pine board and two staves, thus : Take a board about 
the same width as, or a little wider than, a barrel-stave ; saw 
off two pieces equal in length to the width of the sled ; set them 
upon their edges, reversing the top of the sled ; place it across 
the two boards and nail it on securely. Then take two staves 




Snowball Warfare, 261 

and nail them on for side boards, and you have the top portion 
of your sled finished. 

The two staves remaining of the four first selected are for 
runners. Fit on first one and then the other to the staves of 
the top. Nail- 
holes will prob- 
ably be found 
near the ends of 
the staves where 
the nails were 
that held the bar- 

rel-head in* 'Pi<^. 167. — Ammunition Sled finished. 

through these drive nails to fasten your runners ; to do this 
you. must rest them upon some support, as was done before ; 
this will hold your sled together, but to make it stronger take 
four wedge-shaped blocks of wood and slide them in between 
the runners and the top, as shown in Fig. 167, and nail these 
firmly in place from above and below. 

If all this has been properly done, you now have made a 
sled which it will be almost impossible to break ; and, with a 
rope to pull by, one boy can haul snowballs enough for a 
dozen companions. 

How to Make the Shield. 

The shield is made from the head of a barrel. Lay the 
barrel-head upon some level surface, so that nails can be driven 
in without trouble. 

From a strip of board half inch thick and two and one-half 
inches wide saw off two pieces long enough to fasten the parts 
of the barrel-head together, as you see them in Fig. 168. 
Fasten these strips on firmly with shingle nails. 

Lay your left arm upon the shield, as shown, mark a place 
for the arm-strap just in front of elbow, and another for the 



262 



Winter, 



strap for the hand. From an old trunk-strap, or suitable piece 
of leather, cut two strips and nail them on your shield at points 
marked, being careful that the arm-strap is not too tight, as it 

should be loose 
enough for the arm 
to slip in and out 
with ease. This 
done,- you have a 
shield behind which 
you may defy an 
army of unprotected 
boys. 



Rules of the Game. 

The rules of war- 
far e governing a 
snowball battle are 
as follows : 

Two command- 
If the forces engaged be 




Fig. 168. 



ers, or captains, must be elected, 
very large, each captain may appoint one or two assistants, or 
lieutenants. These officers, after being elected and appointed, 
are to give all orders, and should be promptly obeyed by their 
respective commands. The captains decide, by lot, the choice 
of position. 

In choosing sides, the captain who is commander of the fort 
has first choice, then the two captains name a boy, alternately, 
until two-thirds of the boys have been chosen. The defenders 
of the fort then retire to their stronghold, leaving the boys un- 
chosen to join the attacking army, it being supposed that one- 
third behind fortifications are equal to two-thirds outside. 

Only the attacking party is allowed shields and ammuni- 
tion sleds. 



Snowball TVarfare, 263 

At least thirty yards from the fort a camp must be estab- 
lished by the outsiders or attacking army, and stakes driven at 
the four corners to locate the camp. Imaginary lines from 
stake to stake mark its limits. 

Each party will have its national colors, in addition to which 
the attacking party has a battle-flag which it carries with it in 
the assault. 

The defenders of the fort must see to it that all damages to 
the fortifications are promptly repaired. 

Any soldier from the fort who shall be carried off within the 
limits of the camp becomes a prisoner of war, and cannot leave 
the camp until rescued by his own comrades. 

Any one of the attacking force pulled into the fort becomes 
a prisoner of war, and must remain in the fort until it is cap- 
tured. 

Prisoners of war cannot be made to fight against their own 
side, but they may be employed in making snowballs or re- 
pairing damages to fortifications. 

Any deserter recaptured must suffer the penalty of having 
{lis face washed with snow, and being made to work with the 
prisoners of war. 

When the outsiders, or attacking army, can replace the 
enemy's colors with their battle-flag, the fort is captured and 
the battle is won by the attacking party ; all fighting must then 
immediately cease. 

But if, in a sally, or, by any means, the soldiers of the fort 
can take the colors of the opposite party from the camp and 
bring them inside their fortifications, they have not only suc- 
cessfully defended their fort, but have defeated the attacking 
army ; and this ends the battle, with double honors to the brave 
defenders. 

No water-soaked or icy snow-balls are allowed. No honor- 
able boy uses them, and any one caught in the ungentlemanly 



264 Winter, 



act of throwing such ** soakers " should be forever ruled out of 
the game. 

No blows are allowed to be struck by the hand, or by any- 
thing but the regulation snowball, and, of course, no kicking 
is permitted. 

The following sketch of a snow battle in which the author 
took part when a boy, will give an idea of the excitement and 
interest of the game : 

A Snow Battle. 

It was a year when the Indian summer had been prolonged 
into the winter. Christmas had come and gone and a new 
year begun, but not one flake of snow had fallen on the river 
bank or neighboring hills. 

Such was the condition of things one January morning in 
a Kentucky town upon the banks of the Ohio River, where 
myself and some sixty other boys were gathered in a little 
frame school-house. 

We had about made up our minds that old Jack Frost was 
a humbug, and winter a myth ; but when the bell tapped for 
recess, the first boy out gave a shout which passed from mouth 
to mouth until it became a universal cheer as we reached the 
play-grounds, for floating airily down from a dull, leaden, gray 
sky came hundreds of white snow-flakes ! 

Winter had come ! Jack Frost was no longer a humbug ! 
Before the bell again recalled us to our study the ground was 
whitened with snow, and the school divided into two opposing 
armies. That night was a busy one — all hands set to work 
manufacturing ammunition sleds and shields for the coming 
battle. It was my fortune to be chosen as one of the garrison 
of the fort. There was not a boy late next morning — in fact, 
when the teachers arrived to open the school, they found all the 
scholars upon the play-grounds, rolliag huge snowballs. All 



Snowball Warfare. 265 

iiight the snow had continued to fall, and it was now quite deep. 
When we went out at noon a beautifully modelled fort of snowy 
whiteness stood ready for us, and from a mound in the centre 
floated the battle-flag. 

Our company took their places inside the fortifications. 

We could see the enemy gathered around their captain at 
their camp some two hundred yards distant, their ammunition 
sleds loaded with well-made snowballs. The lieutenant bore 
their battle-flag. 

Our teachers showed their interest by standing shivering 
with wet feet in the deep snow to watch the battle. At a blast 
from a tin horn on rushed the foe ! They separated and came 
in two divisions, approaching us from the left and right. 

*' Now, boys," cried our captain, "■ be careful not to throw a 
ball until they are within range." 

Then, calling the pluckiest among us, a flaxen-haired 
country boy, to his side, he whispered a word or two and 
pointed to the flag in the enemy's camp. The boy, who had 
been nicknamed " Daddy " on account of his old-looking face, 
slipped quietly over the rear wall of the fort, dodged behind a 
snow-drift and then behind a fence, and was lost to sight. For- 
ward marched the enemy, their battle-flag borne in advance of 
the party to the right. Their captain was at the head of the 
division to the left. 

Having engaged our attention on the two flanks, where we 
stood ready to receive them, as they neared us, by a quick and 
well-executed manoeuvre, rushing obliquely toward each other, 
the two divisions unexpectedly joined, and advanced, shield to 
shield, with the ammunition sleds in the rear. It was in vain 
we pelted them with snowballs ; on they came, encouraged by 
a cheer from the teachers and some spectators who by this time 
had gathered near the school-house. 

Three times had our noble captain been tumbled from his 



266 ' Winter, 



perch upon the mound in the centre of the fort, when anothef 
burst of applause from the spectators announced some new de- 
velopment, and as we looked, we could see "Daddy" with the 
colors of the enemy's camp in his arms, his tow hair flying in the 
wind as he ran for dear life. 

In an instant the line of the enemy was all in confusion ; 
some ran to head off ** Daddy," while others in their excite- 
ment stood and shouted. It was our turn now, and we pelted 
their broken ranks with snow until they looked like animated 
snow-men. Another shout, and we looked around to find our 
captain down and the hands of one of the besieging party al- 
most upon our flag. It was the work of a second to pitch the 
intruder upon his back outside the fort. Then came the tug 
of war. A rush was made to capture our standard, several of 
our boys were pulled out of the fort and taken prisoners, and 
the capture of the fort seemed inevitable. Again and again a 
number of the enemy, among whom was their color-bearer, 
gained the top of our breastworks, and again and again were 
they tumbled off amid a shower of snowballs that forced them 
to retire to gain breath and clear their eyes from the snow. 
Once their lieutenant, with the red-bordered battle-flag, had 
actually succeeded in reaching the mound upon which stood 
our colors, when a combined attack that nearly resulted in his 
being made prisoner drove him from the fort to gather strength 
for another rush. '* Daddy" was now a prisoner, and the re- 
captured flag again floated over the enemy's camp, when the 
school-bell called us, fresh and glowing with exercise and 
healthful excitement, to our lessons. The battle was left unde- 
cided, but our fort was soon captured by a force stronger than 
any our companions were able to bring against it, for a warm 
south wind sprang up from the lowlands down the river, and 
our fortification quickly yielded to its insidious attack, and the 
snow campaign was over. 



Snowball Warfare, 



267 



How to Bind a Prisoner "Without a Cord. 

A gentleman who was much interested in the foregoing de- 
scription of snowball warfare sends a sketch of the manner 
he and his playmates used to bind their prisoners taken in 
snow battles. The captive was tak- 
en to a post or smooth-trunked sap- 
ling and compelled to put his arms 
and legs around it as if he were 
about to climb. The right leg 
crossed the left leg, and the toe 
of the right shoe was pushed be- 
hind the post or tree trunk in the 
position shown by the illustration. 
After taking this position the pris- 
oner was gently pushed down into 
a sitting position. It is next to im- 
possible for a person so fixed to arise 
without help. The toe of the left 
shoe binds the right leg ; the toe of 
the right shoe binds the post, and 
the arms can be only used to hold 
on by. When a friend reaches the captive he takes him by 
the arms and lifts him up. As soon as the prisoner assumes 
an upright position he can free himself without difficulty. 




A Prisoner of War. 



Company Rest. 

The same gentleman who sent the above ingenious de- 
vice also tells of some funny manoeuvres the boys used to go 
through. For instance, during a lull in the battle, the com- 
mander would call out "• Company rest ! " One man then as- 
sumed a stooping position; the next man sat on the right 



268 



Winter. 



knee of the first man ; a third man would sit upon the right 
knee of the second man and so on until a circle was formed, 
each fellow sitting in some other fellow's lap and yet no one 
sitting upon anything else. "Thus," says the correspondent, 
'* we all were enabled to sit down without using the damp snow 
for a camp stool." 




Advance under T\m^'' 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

SNOW-HOUSES AND STATUARY. 

In '* the land of the midnight sun," the far arctic regions 
where Jack Frost rules supreme, where the glistening ice and 
thickly packed snow covers the landscape almost the whole 
year round, the hardy inhabitants live in huts built of frozesj 




Fig. 169.— Showing the construction of a Snow-House. 

blocks of snow. The interior of these icy dwellings are not, as 
might be supposed, uncomfortably cold, but, on the contrary, 
are quite warm and cosey. Boys who are inclined to doubt 
this may make the experiment for themselves. After the first 
good old-fashioned snow storm has covered the play-ground, 
roads, and house-tops, and while the merry jingle of the sleigh- 



270 



Winter, 



bells tinkles through the wintry air let them busy themselves 
rolling huge balls of snow after the manner described in the 
chapter on *' Snowball Warfare," making the foundation of 




•Sim 



Fig. 170. — A Snow-House Finished. 



the house exactly in the same way as that described for the 
snow-fort (page 258). 

The roof is made of boards or planks covered with snow. 
A barrel placed over a hole in the roof, and surrounded by 
.packed snow properly shaped, will make a very good chim- 
ney. A pane of glass can be set in the square hole made 
for a window ; a heavy piece of carpet can be hung from the 
ceiling over the doorway, so as to act as a curtain ; or if the 
young work-people choose to take trouble enough, they can 
put up a framework inside of the door- way and hang a 



Snow-Houses and Statuary, 



271 



wooden door to it by leather or canvas hinges. An old stove, 
or a fire-place made near the wall under the chimney, adds a 
finish to the house that will be found quite snug and com- 
fortable as long as the snow lasts. The fire inside, if the 
weather be cold, will not melt the walls. The pictures of the 
house (Figs. 169 and 170) show so well how it is constructed, 
and how it looks when it is done, that very little explanation is 
necessary. 

The walls are made of large snow-balls properly placed, 
with snow packed between them to make the surfaces tolerably 
even, and then the whole shaved down with a spade, outside 
and inside. It will be found impossible to put one tier of 
balls upon the top of the others by lifting them in place, but 
this difficult> may be overcome by sliding the balls up an in- 
clined plane made of a strong plank, one end of which must be 
placed upon the ground and the other allowed to rest upon the 
top of the first or foundation row of snowballs. 




Fig. 171. — Making the Pig. 



272 



Winter, 



Snow Statuary. 
The statuary may be of various kinds. It is very seldom 




( mu Mmmwlmwm^ ^ ♦ 







Fig. 172,— a Snow Pig. 

that pigs are sculptured in marble or cast in bronze, and it 

would be well to 
make some of 
snow, so as to have 
statues not likely 
to be found else- 
where. An ob- 
long mass of snow 
forms the body 
(Fig. 171); the 
legs, nose, and 
ears are made of 
sticks surrounded 
by snOw, and a 
^^ bit of rope nicely 
curled will make a 
very good tail. 
The various parts 

Making "Frenchy." 




Snow- Houses and Statuary. 



273 



can be shaped and carved according to the skiii of the young 
artist. A number of pigs, of different sizes, will give a lively 
and social air to the yard of 
a snow-house. Fig. 172 shows 
a finished pig. 

A statue of a Frenchman 
in an ulster is also rather un- 
common, and is not hard to 
make. The foundation of the 
body, head, and legs consists 
of several large snowballs, as 
seen in Fig. 173, and the arms 
are made of smaller balls 
stuck on two sticks, which 
are inserted in the body at 
proper angles. When the 
whole figure has been 

' ' blocked out," as the artists ^i^- i74.-Frenchy inliis Ulster. 

say, it must be carved, with broad wooden knives or shingles, 

into the proper 
shape, as shown 
in Fig. 174. The 
moustache should 
be made of icicles, 
which may be 
stuck in the face. 
Arctic o w 1 s J 
which are very 
large and white, 
can also be made 
of snow, in the 
manner shown in 
the adjoining pic« 





Fig. 175.— Carving the OwU 



274 



yi^ inter. 



ture. These figures can be placed on snow pedestals if they are 
small, but if they are monster owls, like those in the illustra- 
tions (Figs. 175 and 176), they must be placed upon the ground. 

In either position, if they are fash- 
ioned properly, they will look very 
wise and respectable. 

When the snow is too dry to 
make a snowball it cannot be used 
to make statuary, but after a slight 
thaw or a fresh fall of snow it read- 
ily adheres upon a shght pressure, 
and can be formed or fashioned in 
almost any shape. 

Many curious objects and fig- 
ures may be carved out of solidly 
packed balls of snow. A lawn cov- 
ered with a number of large snow figures presents a most gro- 
tesque appearance, and is sure to attract the attention of all 
passers-by. With practice not a little skill may be acquired by 
the young sculptor, and if the statuary be made of large pro- 
portions, they will sometimes last for weeks after the snow \va,9 
disappeared from the ground and house-tops. 




Fig. 176. — An Arctic Owl. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 




SLEDS, CHAIR-SLEIGHS, AND SNOW-SHOES. 

The construction of one of the simplest sleds is shown by 
Fig- 177 j it consists of nothing more nor less than three pieces 
of board nailed upon two barrel-staves. The barrel-stave sled 
possesses the advantage 

of being so simple in J^^^r\"'^^^2T 
design that a child might 
make one, and although 

this primitive sled can Fig. lyy—Barrel-stave Sled. 

lay claim to neither grace nor beauty, it will be found useful in 
a variety of ways ; it may be used for coasting, or for transport- 
ing loads of snow when building snow houses, forts or figures. 

If, instead of the long top board, a 
kitchen chair be fitted on, as shown 
in Fig. i;8, 

A Chair- Sleigh 
will be had. It is necessary to nail 
on four L-shaped blocks at a 
proper distance apart on the cross 
board to hold the chair in place 
(Fig. 178). Any boy who is for- 
FiG. 178.-A Chair-Sleigh. tunate enough to have a mother or 

sister who takes sufficient interest, and has the time to accom- 
pany him on his skating trips, will find a chair-sleigh quite a 
handy thing to possess, and when he moves from one part of 




276 



Winter, 



the ice to a distant portion of the pond or river he can skate 
behind the sleigh with his hands upon the back of the chair, 
and push his lady friend rapidly over the ice, adding much to 
her enjoyment as well as his own. 

The cumbersome wooden kitchen chair Is heavy to carry if 
^he skating pond be far from home, but a 

Folding Chair-Sleigh 

may be made from a few sticks and pieces of leather for hinges* 
This chair is made upon the same principle as the one described 



.jmrndM/MW 




Figs. 179 and 180.— Parts of Folding Chair. 

in the chapter devoted to, " How to Camp Out." Figs. 179 and 
180 show all the parts in detail as they would look before being 
joined together. The seat may be made of a piece of carpet, 
canvas, or any strong material, the hinges of leather. Fig. 



Sleds^ Chair-Sleighs^ and Snow-Shoes, 277 



181 shows the chair after it has been put together. The runners 
consist of skates, which may be strapped on or taken off at 
pleasure, without injuring the skates in the least. If the chair 
is to be carried 
it can be fold- 
ed up. When 
the chair frame 
isliftedthe 
forked sticks 
that .support it 
will slip from 
the notches in 
the side bars 
and fall on to 
the runner 

bars • the chair ^^^' i^i.— Folding Chair-Sleigh Ready for Use. 

frame can then be let down and the whole frame-work will form 
a flat, compact mass (Fig. 182), that can be easily carried by 
quite a small boy. By using light sticks, regular metal hinges, 
and a prettily worked cloth for the seat, a very light and beau- 
tiful chair-sleigh can be made that, with the skates removed, 
will make an ornamental parlor chair for summer, and when 
the ice again covers the surface of the water, it will be only ne- 
cessary to strap on the skates, and the easy chair becomes trans- 





FiG. 182.— Folded Up. 

formed into a chair-sleigh, to be pushed about over the glit- 
tering ice wherever its occupant may direct or the whim of the 
boy who forms the motive power may take him. 



278 ' IVinter, 



The Toboggan. 

This sled, familiar to all who visit Canada or the Provinces 
during the winter months, is more like a mammoth snow-shoe 
than the ordinary sled, sleigh or jumper that we are accus- 
tomed to see. It is suitable for the deep snow and heavy drifts 
of the northern countries, where the runners of a common sleigh 




Fig. 183.— The Toboggan. 

would be liable to break through the crust and bury them- 
selves, thus impeding, if not altogether stopping, the vehicle. 
The toboggan presents a broad, smooth bottom to the snow, 
and glides over the crust. 

To make one of these sleds you must procure two pieces 
of quarter-inch pine lumber eight or ten feet long and one 
foot wide. Place the two boards side by side and join them 
together by the means of round cross sticks ; the latter are 
bound to the bottom board by thongs ; the thongs pass through 
holes in the bottom boards on each side of the cross stick,^ and 
are made fast by a series of ''hammock hitches " (see page 80, 
and Fig. 159, E). Where the thongs pass underneath the bottom 
board grooves are cut deep enough to prevent the cord from 
projecting ; the grooves are quite necessary, for if the cords 
were allowed to project beyond the surface of the boards they 
would not only impede the progress of the toboggan, but the 
friction would soon wear out the thongs and the sled would come 
apart. On top of the cross sticks two side bars are lashed; 



Sleds^ Chair-Sleighs^ and Snow-Shoes, 2"]^ 

the front ends of the board are then curled over and held in 
position by two thongs made fast to the ends. Fig. 183 shows 
a finished toboggan drawn from one manufactured by the In- 
dians in Canada. 



Snow-Shoes or Skates. 

The Norwegian ski is a snow-shoe, or rather a snow- 
skate, nine feet long, used by the Norwegians to glide down 
the mountains or hillsides when the latter are covered with 
snow. 

Great fun can be had with a pair of snow-shoes made on the 
same principle as the Norwegian skate shoe, and it is little 

trouble to man- 






ufacture a pair -^^,,.. ^^^ 

from two barrel ^^^te.— '^ij;;^' 



staves. 

After select- 



ing a couple of ^__^^^^^^ b/c^ fl |() 

straight-e^ramed ^ 

^ ^ Fig. 184.— Top and Side View of Barrel-stave Skate. 



staves, score 



one end of each stave with grooves cut ih the wood either with 
your knife or a small gouge, as shown by the lines at A, Fig. 
184. Smear the end thickly with grease and hold it near a 
hot fire until you find that it can be bent into the form shown 
by the diagram (Fig. 184); bind it in position by a cord and 
let it remain so until the wood retains the curve imparted. 
Make two blocks, each one inch broad and high enough to fit 
under the heels of your shoes ; fasten the blocks on to the snow- 
skates by screws (C, Fig. 184); at a proper distance in front 
of the block fasten two straps securely (B, Fig. 184). By slip- 
ping the toes of your shoes through the straps and allowing 
the hollow of the foot to rest over the blocks C, C, so that the 



2bo ' IVmter. 



heels of your shoes bear against the blocks, you can keep the 
shoes on your feet, and, with the aid of a stick to steer by, go 
sliding down the coasting hill among the sleds and jumpers, 
creating as much fun for the others in your first attempts as you 
do for yourself ; but with practice skill can be acquired in the 
use of snow-skates. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

HOW TO MAKE THE TOM THUMB ICE-BOAT 
AND LARGER CRAFT. 

Although a full-rigged, delicately balanced ice-yacht looks 
like a very complicated piece of mechanism, when it is carefully 
examined the framework will be found to consist of two pieces 
crossing each other at right angles. The top of the cross is the 
bowsprit, the bottom of the cross the stern, and the sides the 
runners. At the intersection of the cross pieces the mast is 
stepped. The principle is simple enough, 
and with some sticks, two small pieces of inch 
lumber, three old skates, and two boards, a 
real Httle **Tom Thumb ice-yacht" can be 
built to hold a crew of one, and to be rigged 
like a catboat or with a jib and mainsail. The -pio. 185. — End of 
cross board may be made about 3 feet long RunnerTiock'^''tSd 
and 6 inches wide. M^ke two runner blocks Skate, 
of inch lumber, and let them be each 6 inches long and 3 inches 
wide. With a bit and brace or a red-hot poker bore holes at 
proper distances apart for the straps of old-fashioned skates 
to pass through. One inch from each end of the cross boards 
fasten on the runner blocks securely with nails or screws (Fig. 
185). For the centre plank use a board about 6 inches wide and 
5 feet long. Nail the cross plank on to the centre plank in such 
a manner that a line drawn through the centre of the latter will 
intersect the cross board exactly at its middle. The planks 
must be at right angles to each other, forming a cross, the cen- 




282 



Winter. 



tre piece extending about one foot beyond the cross piece ; this 
end will be the bow of the ice-boat and the opposite end the 
stern. Bore a large hole in the stern for 
the rudder-post to pass through. The 
rudder-post may be made in a variety of 
forms ; a simple and convenient one is 
shown by Fig. i86. Another hole must 
be made through the point where the cen- 
tres of the cross and centre planks, inter 
sect for the mast. Fig. 187 shows a leg- 
of-mutton sail, but the young yachtsman 
may make a sail of any description that may suit his taste. By 
referring back to the chapter on ** How to Rig. and Sail Small 
Boats," he can find sev- 




Fig. 186.— Rudder with 
Tiller-ropes. 



eral simple kinds of sails 
illustrated. Fig. 188 
shows the top view of 
an ice-boat a trifle larger 
than the one just describ- 
ed ; the braces shown in 
the diagram are unneces- 
sary on very small craft. 
To hold the mast more 
securely in larger yachts, 
a bench is made after the 
plan of Fig. 189 ; this will 
prevent the mast from 
being carried away under 
any ordinary circumstan- 
ces, and also prevent it 
from swaying with every 
puff of wind. Where a 
seat is made as in Fig. 




Fig. 187.— Leg-of-mutton Sail. 



How to Make the Tom Thumb Ice-Boat, 283 



188, a wooden handle can be substituted for the tiller-ropes 
(Fig. 190). 

The rudder is made of a skate ; the latter is fastened by the 
screw at the heel and then strapped on a board nailed on to a 



: : : |. s K?vrj 




l-SKATf 



Pig. 188.— Top View of Ice-Boat. 



club, shaped like a potato-masher ; the small part of the club 
runs through a hole in the stern of the centre-board. A forked 
stick can be used for a tiller and must be fastened on to the 
rudder-post by running a pin or large wire 
through holes bored for the purpose in the 
rudder-post and the prongs of the forked 
stick. If the top of the rudder-post be 
squared, a tiller may be made of a stick 
with a square hole to fit over the end of 
the rudder-post, as shown in the illus- 
tration at the end of this chapter. 

Perhaps some of my readers will invent more ingenious 
and simple steering apparatus than the ones given here ; if 



A^^y^/y///M 




Fig. 189.— Mast Bench. 



284 



Winter. 



not, and the rudder-post and tiller seem to be a little too diffi- 
cult, they may be omitted, and a stationary runner block substi- 
tuted in their place. The boat must then be steered by the 
feet of the crew. To do this he should have on skates. If a 




Fig. 190, — Steering Apparatus. 

long handle be attached to the stern like the back to a sleigh- 
chair, the steersman with skates on can guide the boat with 
his feet by standing behind and holding on to the handle at 
the stern. With this rig, the boat can accommodate a passen- 
ger aboard, as the steersman does not occupy the boat itself but 
tends the sheets and steers while being towed behind. A 



How to Make the Tom Thumb Ice-Boat 285 

common sled may be fixed with holes in it so that a cross board 
can be attached by movable pegs, and with a mast stepped in 
the bow it will make tolerable speed and may be steered by a 
boy on skates. 




A Tom Thumb and CreWa 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE WINGED SKATERS, AND HOW TO MAKE 
THE WINGS. 

Skimming over the glassy surface of an ice-bound river or 
pond, propelled by the wintry blast blowing against artificial 
wings of cloth, is but a degree removed from flying. The fric- 
tion of your skate runners upon the ice is so sHght that it is not 
difficult to imagine that you have left the earth and are soaring 
in mid-air. 

Every boy who has had any skating experience knows what 
hard work it is to skate against a stiff wind, and almost all who 
ever fastened skates to their feet must have enjoyed the luxury 
of sailing over the ice before the wind with a spread coat or 
open umbrella doing duty as a sail. 

For some time back people in widely separated parts of the 
world have made more or less successful attempts at transform- 
ing themselves into animated ice-yachts, and in Canada, Nor- 
way, and other cold countries, men with sails rigged on their 
backs or shoulders have *' tacked," " come about," and ''luffed" 
themselves in a novel and highly entertaining style, but lately, 
for some reason or other, this sport has been allowed to almost 
die out, and we are now indebted to two or three writers for 
reintroducing skate-saihng to the public with original sugges- 
tions and improvements. Mr. Charles L. Norton, editor of 
The American Canoeist^ was, I believe, the first to call the 



The Winged Skaters, 287 

attention of the public in general, and the boys particularly, to 
this delightful sport. In an article published in the St. Nicho- 
las Magazine, entitled " Every Boy his Own Ice-Boat, " Mr. 
Norton describes a new and original device, consisting of a 
double sail, which is so simple in construction, and yet so 
strong, light, and easy to manage, that it is sure to become a 
favorite rig with the boys, both large and small. 

In another article entitled ^\ White Wings," which appeared 
in Harper s Weekly , the same author describes a number of 
queer sails used by different people. Following in the foot- 
steps of Mr. Norton, and adding to our information on this 
subject, comes T. F. Hammer with an interesting article pub- 
lished in the Century Magazine, in which this gentleman gives 
some personal experience as a winged skater and a detailed 
description of the Danish skate-sail. 

Among the many reasons given by skate-sailors why this 
new and highly exhilarating pastime should come into general 
favor are these : skate-sailing can be practised and enjoyed on 
ice too rough for ordinary skating, and a light fall -of snow that 
ruins the ice for the common skater improves it for the winged 
yachtsman. 

Salt-water ice that is too soft for one to enjoy a skate upon 
affords a better foothold than smooth, hard, fresh-water ice, and 
is preferable on that account. Wherever you can skate there 
you may sail, and when the skating proper is ruined, it often 
^happens that the qualities of the ice are improved for saiHng. 
There is no record of a serious accident happening to any skate- 
sailor, although one may attain, literally, the speed of the 
wind, the higher the rate of speed the less danger there ap- 
pears to be, for in falling a person will strike the ice at such an 
angle that he is merely sent sliding over the surface, and little 
or no damage is done. 



288 IVinter. 



Bat Wings. 

After procuring a suitable piece of cloth, spread it out upon 
the floor and tack it there, then spread yourself out on the 
cloth with your arms extended at right angles to your body, 
and your feet spread apart. While in that position, have some 
one mark on the cloth the points where the crown of your 
head, your wrists, and ankles come. With a chalk or pencil 
connect these points by lines, and, allowing for the hem, cut the 
sail out according to the pattern made. 

Turn the edges over and make a strong broad hem all 
around the sail, sew in straps or bands at the ankle, waist, wrists, 
and head. When the sail is to be used, adjust the head-band 
around the forehead, fasten the waist, wrist, and ankle straps, 
and the ship is rigged. By spreading the arms, the sail is 
set ; when the arms are folded the sail is furled. It would be- 
come exceedingly tiresome to hold the arms outstretched from 
the sides for any length of time without support ; to obviate 
this, a stick may be carried, which, when thrust behind the 
back, will make a support for the hands as they grasp it near 
the ends. The man-bat steers with his feet, using his legs and 
arms for sheet-lines. Skaters rigged up in this novel style pre- 
sent a most grotesque appearance as they flap their wings 
about in going through various evolutions. 

The Norton Rig 

is a double sail, and might be called a schooner rig. It is in 
many respects superior to the somewhat cumbersome single 
sails, the chief advantage being the fact that the crew can see in 
every direction, and thus avoid running foul of any other craft 
or skater. Another improvement is the double main spar 
which, without increasing the weight, affords a stronger sup- 
port for the cross pieces, or fore and main masts. The main 



The Winged Skaters, 



289 



spar may be made of spruce pine or bamboo. Cane fishing- 
poles are inexpensive, and can probably be readily obtained by 
most boys. Select two pieces, each about ten feet long, and 
bind the butt or large end of one to the small end of the other ; 
lash the other ends firmly together in like manner, so that the 
two poles will lay side by side firmly bound at each end. 

For the fore and main masts or cross yards, Mr. Norton 
recommends bamboo, five-eighths of an inch in diameter, but 
American cane will also answer for that purpose. Pick out two 
pieces five-eighths of an inch in diameter at the smallest ends, 




Fig. 191.— The Norton Rig. 

and let each be four feet six inches long. Near the ends of the 
cross yards fasten metal buttons or knobs, and fasten similar 
knobs near the ends of the main spar. Make a small cleat for 
the middle of each cross spar (A, A, A, Fig. 191) and lash 
it firmly on. 

Make the sails of the heaviest cotton sheeting, if it can be 
procured ; if not, take ordinary sheeting and double it, or what 
cloth you can procure. Mark out the sails, making allowance 
for the hem, and let them measure four feet across the diagonal 
after the hem has been turned down ; bind the sails with strong 
tape, and see that the corners particularly are made very strong. 



290 ' IVinter, 



Sew to the ** clews " or corners small metal rings, or loops of 
strong cord, to fasten on the buttons at the ends of the spars. 

Attach the sails to the cross spars by slipping the rings 
at the clews over the buttons at each end of the spars. 
Spring the main spar apart and slip the cleats of the cross 
spar between the two pieces, so that they fit as shown by 
Fig. 191. Fasten the outside clews to the buttons on the ends 
of the main spar and bind the two inside clews tightly together 
with a cord as shown in the diagram, and you are all ready to 
give the novel device a trial. Go to the nearest sheet of ice, 
put on your skates, and after seeing that they are securely fas- 
tened, take up the sails and let yourself go before the wind, 
steering with your feet. After practising awhile you can learn to 
tack, and go through all the manoeuvres of a regular sail-boat. 

A most beautiful ''rig" is described by Mr. Norton, in 
which the main spar consists of four pieces of bamboo joined 
at the middle by brass fishing-rod ferrules. Brass tips are used 
for holding the small ends of the bamboo together at the ends 
of the main spar. This rig can be taken apart like a jointed 
fishing-rod, and, like it, put in a comparatively small case, occu- 
pying not much more space when the sails are rolled up than 
an old-fashioned cotton umbrella. Sails may be made of fancy 
striped cloth and brilliantly colored penants rigged to their 
corners ; combine this with a suitable uniform, and the winged 
skater will present a most striking and dashing appearance as 
he goes flying over the ice. 

The Norwegian Rig. 

This is a very simple sail to make, as may be seen by referring 
to Fig. 192. The spars can be made of the same material 
as the ones described for the Norton rig. The Norwegian rig 
requires a crew of two, and in this particular differs from all the 
rest. The man at the bow grasps the main spar with oJie hand 



The JVingect Skaters. 



291 



just behind the fore cross yard, and with the other hand takes 
hold of the main spar behind him ; the helmsman must stand at 




Fig. 192. — Norwegian Rig. 

the stern or ** aft" end of the sail, so that he can see to steer. 
The man in front must hold on and trust to Providence and the 
steersman. This is rather an awkward rig, but it has the ad- 
vantage of carrying two instead of one, and is consequently in 
favor with people who like » 

sociability. — '^^^^^ ^ ^, 




The Danish Rig 

consists of a mainmast and 
topmast. The latter can be 
let down when required. The 
diagram (Fig. 193) is made of 
dimensions suitable for a good- 
sized boy. The straps near 
the bottom of the topmast are 

for the purpose of binding the ^* 

sail to the back of the crew, Fig. 193.— Danish Rig. 

like a knapsack. The hand-sticks are only attached to the lower 
corners of the sails, the other ends are held by the crew, crossed 



292 



Winter, 



and used as sheet-lines are in an ordinary sail-boat. The spars 
may all be made of spruce, pine, cedar, bamboo, or Southern 
cane, and the sail of heavy cotton sheeting or strong cotton 
duck, of double thickness at the clews. In experimenting with 
this rig, it is best to choose a day when there is only a moderate 
wind, for the sail being bound to your body cannot be cast aside 
by simply letting go. 

The mainsail and topsail are all of one piece of cloth. The 
topmast is fastened to the middle of the shoulder yard by a 
leather strap passing around the yard. The topmast is held in 
place by the wind blowing it against the head of the crew. By 
running a little into the wind the topsail will fall back and leave 
only the mainsail up, or if you loosen the cross knot at the 
upper part of the topmast you can roll the topsail down to the 

reefing points and lash it 




Fig. 194.— English Rig. 



there. The steering is done 
with the feet of the crew. To 
learn to sail this or any other 
craft practice is needed. 
You might as well try to learn 
to swim from reading a book 
as to expect to become an ex- 
pert sailor without going to 
sea. 

The English Rig 

consists of a mast and two 
spars (Fig. 194) ; the bottom 
of the mast rests in straps 
fastened to one leg of the 
crew, who supports the sail 



by placing one arm around the mast, holding on to the top spaf 
with the other hand. This makes quite a pretty craft, though, 



The Winged Skaters. 



293 



like the Danish rig, the sail must be bound to the crew, which 
always appears objectionable from the fact that in case of acci- 
dent there must be more danger of breaking the spars or tear- 
ing the sail than there is where the whole thing can be dropped 
in an instant. The English rig is on something of the same, 
principle as 

The Cape Vincent Rig, 

which consists of a long spar and a sprit, the spar being in some 
cases twelve or fifteen feet in length ; one seven feet long will 
make a sail large enough for a boy. The sprit is fastened at 
the bottom securely to the sail, and fits on to the main spar 
with a crotch, fork, or jaw. The sail being cut in the right shape 




Fig. 195. —Cape Vincent Rig. 

and proper proportions, and made fast to the long spar and to 
the end of the sprit, as soon as the latter is forced into place it 
will stretch the sail out flat, as in Fig. 195. A boy with one of 
these rigs on his shoulder makes a very rakish-looking craft. 
The spar is carried '*as a soldier carries his rifle" — on the 
shoulder ; the sprit, or small cross spar, is allowed to rest 
against the crew's back. According to one writer, who is sup- 
posed to have had experience, this rakish craft will not in the 
least belie its looks. In speaking of it he says : "I should 
say that on good, smooth ice, with a twenty-five or thirty- 



294 



Winter. 



mile wind, they went at the rate of eighty or one hundred milei 
an hour'' This sounds Hke an exaggeration, but when we re- 
member that a good ice-yacht, well handled, can make a mile 
a minute or more, travelHng much faster than the wind itself, 
the statement of the enthusiastic advocate of the Cape Vincent 
rig does not appear so improbable. In speaking of the speed 
attained by regular ice-yachts, Mr. Norton says : 

** There is no apparent reason why a skate-sailor should not 
attain a like speed. Other things being equal, he has certain 
advantages over the ice-yacht. His steering gear is absolutely 
perfect, assuming, of course, that he is a thoroughly confident 
skater, and it is in intimate sympathy with the trim of his sail. 
This nice adjustment between rudder and sails is an important 
point. Again, there is no rigidity about the rig. Everything 
sways and gives under changing conditions of wind, and ex- 
perience soon endows the skater with an instinct which teaches 
him to trim his sail so as to make every ounce of air-pressure 
tell to the best advantage." 



A Country Rig. 

The two forked sticks from which the framework of this 
sail is made must necessarily be nearly of the same dimensions 
After their ends 
have been firmly 
lashed together, as 
shown by Fig. 196, 
a sail made of an old 
piece of carpet, awn- 
ing, hay - cover, or 
any cloth that is 

strong enough or F^^- i96.-Country Rig. 

can be made strong enough by doubling, may be lashed on at 
the four prongs of the forks. This rig will convey a crew of 




The Winged Skaters, 295 

two over the ice with as much speed as the more elaborate 
Norwegian sail (Fig. 192). The country sail may not be hand- 
some, but it possesses the advantage of being easily constructed 
and costing little or nothing, except the work of cutting and 
trimming the spars and sail. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 




'ir^^yiffffw^ |i» 



WINTER FISHING—SPEARING AND SNARING^ 
FISHERMEN'S MOVABLE SHANTIES, ETC. 

The pleasures of fishing are naturally an J almost invariably 
cor nected in our minds with warm weather, particularly with 
Spring or the first coming of Summer, the bright freshness of 

bursting bud and 
new-opening wild 
blossom, and with 
those latter days in 
the Autumn over 
which the Summer 
King sheds his 
brightest glories. 
But in our northern 
and easterly States, 
when old Winter has spread his mantle of 
frost and snow over the face of Nature, and 
hermetically sealed all the lakes and ponds 
under covers of ice, as an agreeable addition 
to the fun of skating, hardy, red-cheeked 
I boys cut round holes in the thick ice, and 

^ through them rig their lines for pickerel- 

FiG. 197.— Flip-Up Set. fishing. A very simple but ingenious con- 
trivance enables a single fisherman to attend to quite a number 
of lines if the holes be all made within sight of the fisherman, 




Winter Fishing, Etc. 



297 




the fish itself will give the signal for the particular line that 
requires attention. 

The construction of this automatic fishing-tackle is so simple, 
that it may be made in a few moments by any one. The 
preceding illustration shows how- 
it is arranged (Fig. 197). At 
the end of a light rod a foot 
or two in length is fastened a 
small signal flag ; a piece of any 
bright- colored cloth answers the 
purpose. This rod is bound with 
strong string at right angles to a 
second stick, which is placed 
across the hole, lying some inches, 
upon the ice at either side ; the 
flag also rests on the ice, leaving 
a short piece of the flag-rod pro- fig. 198.— The Signal Flying. 
jecting over the cross stick ; to this short end the line and hook 
are fastened. The hook is baited with a live minnow or other 
suitable bait and lowered through the hole. The tackle is then 
in readiness for the capture of a pickerel. When the fish is 
hooked his struggles keep the flag flying (Fig. 198). 

Smelt Fishing and the Smelt Fisher's House. 

From about December 20th until the middle or latter part 
of February the smelt fishing season is in its height along the 
coast of Maine. The fish are caught through holes in the ice. 
In the vicinity of Belfast clam worms are used for bait ; the 
worms are found in the clam flats. 

Notwithstanding the reputation for original inventions pos- 
sessed by the inhabitants of the Eastern States, the ** Down 
East " smelt fishermen of Maine have for years, while fishing 
through the ice, exposed themselves to the piercing winter winds, 



298 ' Winter, 



apparently without once thinking of providing any other shelter 
than their heavy overcoats and perhaps a rude barricade of 
ice blocks and evergreen boughs. There is no.telHng how long 
this state of things might have continued, but during the winter 
of 1877-78* a single fisherman, more enterprising than his com- 
rades, appeared upon the fishing grounds with a small canvas 
tent, inside of which he at once proceeded to make himself 
comfortable, and at the same time excite the envy of the un- 
protected, shivering fishermen scattered over the ice. The lat- 
ter were not long in taking the hint, and the next season found 
the ice dotted all over with the little canvas houses of the fish- 
ermen. During the best of the season the smelt fishing grounds 
now have the appearance of Indian villages ; the blue smoke 
curls up from the peaked roofed lodges and floats away on the 
frosty air, while the figures of men and boys passing to and fro 
on different errands might at a distance be easily mistaken for 
the aboriginal red Americans at their winter camp. 

The framework of a smelt fisher's house consists of a light 
wooden frame about six feet square, with a sharp roof. After 
the frame is firmly fastened together it is put upon runners, 
furnished with a bench for the fisherman to sit upon, a stove to 
keep him warm, and a covering of light canvas to keep out the 
cold. The canvas is a better protection against sleet and frost 
if it has been covered with a coat of paint. Sometimes the houses 
are made large enough to accommodate more than one fisher- 
man. Snugly ensconced beside a warm stove, with pipe in 
mouth, the old veterans spin their yarns, and, oblivious to the 
raging northwest winds, watch their lines, which are attached to 
a rack overhead and hang down, passing through a hole in the 
ice; The bait dangles about eight or ten feet under the water. 
When a fish bites, the motion of the line apprizes the fisherman 
of the fact, and he pulls it out, unhooks the fish and again drops 



* According to the Belfast (Me.) Journal. 



Winter Fishings Etc. 



299 




his line. In this manner one man will succeed in catching from 

ten to fifteen pounds in a day. 

A gentleman who seems to be posted upon the subject of 

smelt fishing sends me the following device, which ought to 

have been included in the chapter on odd modes of fishing. 

My correspondent 

says : '' During the fall 

months the smelt run 

in large schools up the 

creeks and streams 

emptying into the 

ocean, and are caught 

with seines or nets by 

professional fishermen 

f V 1- T h ^^^' ^99*— '^^^ Umbrella Smelt Tackle. 

sure, no true sportsman could make use of such means for cap- 
turing game ; still, as it is necessary to take these small fish in 
large numbers to make a respectable mess, some ingenious 
sportsman has evolved a fishing-tackle with which one can 
legitimately do wholesale fishing. To a line on an ordinary 
pole is attached an apparatus resembUng an umbrella-frame 
without the handle ; from the point of each bow hangs a line 
and hook (Fig. 199) ; in this way six or eight smelt may be taken 
in the time it would require to catch one with a single line." 

For boys who live inland where smelt fishing is out of 
the question, there are other fish whose gamy nature will im- 
part more fun and excitement to their capture. Long rods 
would be out of place within the narrow limits of a little cloth- 
covered fishing box ; but hand lines or short rod and reel may 
be used. When a short rod is used it is only for the pur- 
pose of facilitating the use of the reel, and the rod should not 
be over two and one-half feet long. Fish may also be snared 
or speared through holes in the ice by boys concealed in little 



300 



JVinter. 



wooden shanties built for the purpose. This sport is much in 
vogue on some of the small lakes in the Northwest. 

The Spearsman's Shanty. 

The great drawback to spearing fish through holes in the 

ice, is the inability of the spearsman to see objects under water, 

and to keep the cold winds from chilling him through and 

through as he stands almost motionless watching for his game ; 




Fig. 2CX). — Framework for Spearman's Shanty. 

<iut if the sportsman will supply himself with one of the little 
wooden shanties used by the fish spearers in the Northwest, he 
will overcome both these difficulties. The shanty, when the 
door is closed, is perfectly dark inside, having no other open« 
mg except a round hole, about a foot and a half in diameter, in 
the floor just over the hole in the ice. The only light seen by 
the fisherman is the bright, shining water, which glows like a 
full moon underneath him. As his eyes become accustomed ta 
the peculiar condition of things, the nebulous objects first dis- 



Winter Fishings Etc. 301 



cernible in the luminous water resolve themselves into floating 
grasses and reeds ; the bottom, even where the water is quite 
deep, becomes plainly visible, and every passing fish is distinct- 
ly seen by the spearsman, while he, being in total, darkness, 
is invisible to the creatures below. This effect can be readily 
understood when one remembers that the ice, unless it be cov- 
ered with snow, is transparent, and that the light shining through 
illuminates the water. It is as if you were standing outside of 
a house on a very dark night looking through a window into a 
brilliantly lighted room. 

The fishermen's shanties are provided with small sheet-iron 
stoves, which require but very little fire to make the house warm 
enough for one to sit with his coat off. The stoves are provided 
with small pipes, which issue through the roof or side of the 
house. A bench, camp-stool, or chair complete the furniture. 

Snaring Fish. 
Catfish may be chummed for ; that is, attracted by bait cut 
up and dropped through the hole in the ice. The bait will at- 
tract many other fish, which can be snared with a slip-noose 
made of fine copper or brass wire and attached to the end of a 
line. There is nothing alarming in the looks of this instrument, 
and a fish will not notice the snare until it finds the fatal noose 
tightly drawn about its body. It requires a little practice to 
snare fish successfully. I well remember my first attempt. A 
large *' mud sucker" was discovered under an overhanging 
bank. Cautiously I crept to the edge of the stream, and with 
trembling, yet careful hand, I let the snare glide gently into 
the water. The fish did not move ; by degrees I slipped 
the noose over the comical slippery head of the creature, and 
with a mighty jerk landed — not the fish, but my snare in the 
boughs of a tree that overhung the water. I was thunder- 
struck when I discovered that the fine wire of the snare had 



302 Winter. 

cut the fish completely in halves, and as the muddy water^ 
stirred up by the commotion beneath, rolled away down stream, 
I beheld one-half of the "mud sucker" with the puckering 
mouth still moving, and the other half with its tail flapping in 
the water beneath. 

It requires experience to learn just how hard to pull on 4 
snare to catch a fish and hold it without breaking the line or 
cutting the game. 

Spearing Fish 

is far more exciting and sportsmanlike than snaring them. 
The fish may be attracted by dead bait dropped through the 
hole in the ice, after the manner before described, or if it be 
pickerel you are after, a trolling spoon can be danced up 
and down, and round and round, until it attracts the attention 
of the fish. Some fishermen use a wooden minnow weighted 
at the bottom with lead and provided with fins and tail made 
of tin. Such a decoy, to be effective, should be decorated with 
a brilliant red stripe on each side, a white belly, and a bright 
green back. By means of a line fastened vO the wooden fish 
it can be made to swim around under water in a most frisky 
and life-like manner, completely deceiving the unwary pick- 
erel. The decoy must be kept out of reach when the fish dart 
at it, and at the same time the spear must be poised, ready 
to cast at the first opportunity. Often the unsuspicious pick- 
erel will stop and remain for some moments motionless directly 
under the hole in the ice, apparently considering the best 
mode of capturing the lively and gaudy minnow that dances 
so temptingly near his hungry jaws. This is a golden oppor- 
tunity for the young fisherman, and waiting only such time as 
it may require to take aim, the lance should be launched. A 
good fish spear is described on page 188 and \llustra].ed by 
Fig. 121. As soon as a fish is speared it should be thiown upon 



Winter Fishing, Etc. 



303 



the ice outside the shanty and allowed to freeze. In this man- 
ner the meat is kept much sweeter and fresher than it is possible 
to preserve fish in warm weather, even for so short a time as it 
requires to carry the game home from the fishing grounds. 

How to Build a Fishing House. 

Fig. 200 shows the framework for a small fishing house ; 
the posts and cross pieces are made of such sticks as can be 
found along the bank of any stream or lake. Fig. 201 shows 




I J 

Fig. 201.— Floor and Runners of Spearsman's Shanty. 

how the floor is made of planks, with a hole in the forward part 
to fish through. The whole frame may be covered with pieces 
of an old hay-cover, canvas, or what is better still, pieces of old 
oil-cloth, such as is used for dining-room or hall floors. If the 
framework be covered with any light cloth, the cloth should be 
tacked on and thickly coated with paint so as to admit no light. 
A frame like the one illustrated by Figs. 200 and 201 may be 
made, fitted up, and kept stored away until wanted for use. 
After hauling it out on the fishing grounds and cutting a hole 
through the ice, the frame can be covered with thick blankets, 
and without injuring the material the covering can be fastened 
by pins and strings over the framework and removed when the 
day's sport is finished. If, instead of rough forked sticks, regU' 



304 



Winter. 



lar square posts be used, the whole can be covered with quar* 
ter-inch pine lumber, thus making a light but serviceable 
shanty. If the light come in under the house, pack snow 
around it. If the snow cover the ice to such a thickness as to 
darken the water beneath, sweep a place clean around your 
shanty, and the light admitted through the clear ice will illumi- 
nate the water beneath your hut or tent. Fig. 2C2 shows an- 
other form of fisherman's hut, made upon the same principle as 
the cabin of the Crusoe raft (Figs. 70 and 71, pages 99 and lOO). 
Select hickory or any other elastic saplings, taking care to have 
them all about the same size. After boring holes with an 
auger in the side bars of the floor frame, bend sapHngs over 
and force their ends into the holes as shown in the diagram. 
The floor can be laid in the same manner as illustrated by Fig. 
201, and the whole frame covered with some opaque fabric, of 
cloth made opaque by a coating of paint. A very beautiful 
and light fishing house might be made with a bamboo frame 
that could be taken apart and packed away for the summet 
like a jointed fishing-rod. 




i-^iG. 202. — Crusoe Cabin Style. 



C'HAPTER XXXIII. 
IN-DOOR AMUSEMENTS. 

There will frequently occur gaps, in the long winter even- 
ings, that are hard to fill up satisfactorily, hours when, tired of 
reading or study, a boy does not know what to do. Again, 
occasionally through the winter one's companions and friends 
are likely to drop in and spend an evening. The most accom- 
plished host is at times at a loss to know how to entertain his 
company, after the old, worn, threadbare games have been re- 
peated until they have become monotonous and tiresome. 

To the filling of these gaps, and for the relief of the worried 
host, I propose to devote a limited space and chapter in ex- 
plaining and suggesting some novelties in the way of in-door 
amusements. 

Bric-^-brac, or the Tourist's Curiosities, 

is a comparatively new game, which, In the hands of a smart 
boy or a fluent speaker, can be rendered entertaining, startling, 
or boisterously funny. The company, seated at a long table in 
a very dimly lighted room, must be particularly requested to 
keep their hands under the table, pay strict attention to the 
tourist, and maintain a solemn silence. The tourist, from the 
head of the table, commences his narrative something as fol- 
lows : 

*' In the year 1867 I was travelling in Egypt, having been 
commissioned by a certain scientific association to procure for 
them as perfect a specimen of a mummy as I could find. I 



3o6 Winter, 



made it my particular business to associate as much as possible 
with the native Arabs, whose ostensible business of guides and 
donkey masters is but a disguise, and, at the same time, a help 
to their real trade of grave robbers. Through my interpreter, I 
let it be known that I was willing to pay a good price for the 
mummy of some king or noble person — such mummies, being 
more carefully and skilfully embalmed, are in a much more 
perfect state of preservation. For some months I was fooled 
and fretted by these Arab swindlers and cheats, who would 
take me long distances to show some very common broken 
specimen. Finally, finding I would not be imposed upon, I re- 
ceived a call one night from a most villainous-looking native, 
who said for so much money he would introduce me to a cer- 
tain Amed al Hamu, who could procure me what I wanted. To 
shorten a long story, I met Amed al Hamu, and after a week's 
dickering and bargaining made an appointment to meet him 
alone at his home — one could scarcely say house, for he lived in 
a sort of tomb cut out of the solid rock some twenty feet up a 
precipitous rock on the edge of the desert. At the appointed 
time he met me at the foot of the rock, and after cautiously 
looking to see if we were watched, led me to his cave. Passing 
through this, with light in hand we entered a narrow passage 
cut in the rock ; through this we stooped and crawled for about 
a hundred yards ; here the passage ended abruptly, as though 
unfinished. On one side, near the end, was a large crack or 
fissure, through which I squeezed myself after my guide, and 
stood upon the brink of a bottomless pit. From its hiding- 
place Amed al Hamu produced a rude specimen of rope-ladder, 
by the means of which we descended some ten feet into the 
pit ; getting off on a ledge of rock I was ushered into a small 
cavern and found a really valuable mummy in an unusually fine 
mummy case, after showing which Amed offered to deliver it 
io me at some fifty per cent, above the price originally agreed 



In-door Amusements, 307 

(ipon. We finally settled the bargain and started to return. 
As but one at a time could use the rope-ladder, I sent the Arab 
on first, thinking while he was ascending I might look around, 
for I felt certain that all those excavations were never made for 
a single mummy. In the hasty glance I took of the chamber 
nothing new could be seen, but remembering that the ladder 
was a very long one, when it came my turn I went down in- 
stead of up. Passing a ledge similar to the one just left, I con- 
tinued down and discovered a narrow landing on the opposite 
side of the pit. By swinging the rope I reached it and got off. 
Stepping through a small doqrway I stood in a large, spacious 
chamber ; pieces of broken mummy cases and fragments of 
linen bandages strewed the floor ; boxes filled with porcelain 
statuettes, precious vases of alabaster, jars of bronze and terra- 
cotta were piled against the walls. Standing upright and laid 
at length upon the floor were huge sarcophagi of painted wood. 
Mummy cases fashioned after the human form crowded the 
room. Evidently I was amidst the kings and rulers of Pharao- 
nic Egypt. Examining one of the richest sarcophagi I discov- 
ered that it had been lately opened, and upon trial lifted the 
cover off easily ; the mummy case inside was broken and 
half open. There was no doubt, from the fineness of the linen, 
that the occupant had been royal. It would be hard to say 
what my emotions were when I opened this mummy case; 
surprise and astonishment certainly predominated, for there, 
with bandages and wrappings half torn and cut off, was the 
most wonderfully preserved specimen ever seen or heard of. 
It was, or had been a thousand years ago, a princess of great 
beauty, and so perfectly was the form preserved that but for 
the color I should have said she slept ! 

** It was evident at a glance that the grave-robbing ghouls 
had here found a prize which they meant to keep a secret until 
they discovered the most advantageous way of disposing of it. 



3o8 Winter. 



Upon closer examination I was shocked to discover that one 
hand of the beautiful mummy had been severed at the wrist, 
probably for the purpose of more easily obtaining the bracelet 
that had once encircled the arm. Pulling aside some of thebun- 
. died bandages, I discovered the little delicate, shapely hand. A 
: terrific yell from the Arab above startled me so that I dropped 
the light, which was instantly extinguished, leaving me in total 
darkness. Thrusting the mummy hand into an inside pocket I 
groped my way out to the ledge, shouting help ! murder ! fire ! 
at the top of my voice ; in fact, so loud did I yell that the 
swarthy son of the desert ceased his shouting, and as he reached 
the ledge upon which I stood held his light aloft, and dis- 
covering me, with no light, standing upon the brink of the 
dark abyss, his villainous features relaxed into a smile, and, 
motioning me to proceed, he followed me up the ladder. 
After I had returned to my stopping-place and taken counsel 
with some friends, in spite of their advice I dispatched a mes- 
senger to Amed al Hamu, proposing to purchase some of the 
treasures that I knew were hidden in the but half-explored 
cave. The only answer I received was a message from the sheik, 
or chief of the village, stating that I had in some way 'incurred 
the ill will and animosity of the populace,' and had better there- 
fore absent myself immediately, as he, the sheik, * was powerless 
to protect.' It is hardly necessary for me to state that I acted 
upon this hint and left ; I am free to acknowledge that I think 
more of my own body than any mummy that was ever embalmed. 
The beautifully shaped hand I still have as evidence of my ad- 
venture, and if you will kindly pass it to one another under the 
table each may feel its peculiar texture." 

The tourist then takes from a basket at his side a kid glove, 
previously prepared by stuffing it with damp sand and allowing 
it to rest on ice for an hour or so. The guests should be rC' 
peatedly cautioned about dropping the specimen, otherwise the 



In-door Amusements. 309 

peculiar cold, damp feeling of what seems to be the hand of a 
mummy will cause the nervous ones to throw it from them in 
a hurry. After this has made the circuit of the table, the tour- 
ist places it upon a waiter in front of him and proceeds to ex- 
plain the capture of a very curious sea-urchin, which turns out 
to be a pincushion with the points of pins sticking out all over 
it. Next comes a piece of the Japanese weeping crystal from 
a cave in the centre of Simoda — simply a piece of ice ; and so 
the game continues with as many queer specimens as the inge- 
nuity of the tourist can invent. A glib talker can so excite the 
imagination of his hearers as to often make them believe for 
the time that the object they are handling under the table is gen^ 
uine. When, after the game is over, the contents of the tour- 
ist's basket are exposed for the audience to examine by sight as 
well as touch, there is always a great laugh as each one recog- 
nizes some familiar object, which, with the help of a dark room 
and a vivid imagination, sent the chills down his back. 

Mind-Reading. 

This is more in the nature of a trick than a game, but as 
anything that creates surprise or approaches the wonderful 
always proves attractive and entertaining, I introduce this plan 
of reading the contents of a folded paper by laying it across 
the forehead. The mind reader seats himself at a table at one 
end of the room ; the audience must not approach nearer than 
five feet, and should be seated in a semicircle in front of him. 
Slips of paper, all the same size and shape, are then distributed 
among the audience, with the request that each one write 
thereon a short sentence, plainly and in English. While they 
are busy writing, the mind-reader, or medium, is preparing for 
the trial by first making sundry passes across his forehead, rub- 
bing each arm slowly from shoulder to wrist, and then sitting 
calm and silent, staring at the wall. Each person folds his 



3IO IVinfer. 



piece of paper carefully, and they are all collected by some 
one, who, standing alongside the medium, presses the first 
paper folded on the medium's forehead, who with closed eyes 
immediately reads the contents out loud, and then verifies it by 
taking, opening, and re-reading it with his eyes open, and re- 
quests the writer to acknowledge it, after which the second 
paper is treated in a similar manner, thus continuing until every 
paper has been read and acknowledged. All this appears very 
wonderful and inexplicable to the uninitiated, but perfectly 
simple when explained. The party who collects the papers is 
the medium's confederate, and should be selected from among 
the guests some time before the game is proposed, and in an- 
other room be thoroughly drilled so as to make no mistakes. 
The confederate's part is very easy. It is simply to let the 
medium know what is to be written on his piece of paper, and 
be careful to leave that particular message for the last one jto 
be read. On these two points depend the success of the ex- 
periment, for it makes no difference what the first message is. 
The medium reads out whatever the confederate was to write, 
and while pretending to verify it by re-reading with his eyes 
open, he really is fixing in his memory the lines in the first 
paper, which he reads out as the contents of the second mes- 
sage. The second is read as the third, and so on through them 
all. The confederate's message, which was read out as coming 
first, being the last, brings them out even. 

A Literary Sketch Club 

is a new idea, which has been tried and has proved very suc- 
cessful, the original club having prospered through three win- 
ters, and still boasts of some thirty enthusiastic members. The 
idea of the club is that each member illustrate the same subject 
(previously selected) in any way he thinks fit — the artists, if 
there be any present, by a drawing or painting on the subject; 



In-door AniMsements, 311 

a member who sings may select, adapt, or originate a song 
that will express his idea of the subject. Instrumental music 
may be made to tell the story ; short sketches, in prose or 
poetry, original essays, or selections carefully made from good 
authors ; in fact, there is scarcely any one who cannot illustrate 
the subject in some way that will add to the entertainment of 
the evening. I annex the Constitution of the original club, 
which I know from practical experience works well : 



CONSTITUTION. 

I. Name. 

The name of this society shall be the Literary Sketch 

Club. 

II. Officers. 

The officers of this club shall consist of a president, a secre- 
tary, an editor, and an associate editor. 

The duties of president and secretary shall be such as usually 
pertain to such offices. 

The editor shall have entire control of a paper to be issued 
by the club. 

The duties of the associate editor shall be to assist the editor 
in the work of publishing the paper, and to take control of the 
paper in case of the illness or absence of the editor. 

The election of officers shall take place at the first meeting 
held each season, their term of office to expire upon the next 
election day. 

III. Meetings. 

The regular meetings of the Literary Sketch Club shall 

be held once in every two weeks. 



312 Winter. 



IV. Subjects for Illustration. 

The subject to be illustrated must be selected by the mem- 
ber who is to next entertain the club, and announced by him at 
the meeting preceding the one to be held at his house. 

V. Sketches. 

A sketch illustrating the subject selected will be expected 
from each member present. 

The said sketches may be essays, poems, songs, music, pic- 
tures, or any other method of illustration that may suggest 
itself. Original sketches are not absolutely required. 

Contributions for the club paper must be sent to the editor; 
they may be anonymous. 

VI. Election of New Members. 
Candidates for membership may be proposed at any meet- 
ing and the election proceeded with, two black balls excluding 
the candidate from membership. 

VII. Absence. 
Absence from three consecutive regular meetings, without 
an acceptable excuse, will be considered equivalent to a resigna- 
tion, and the absentee's name may be acted on accordingly. 

VIII. Order of Business. 

1. Roll call. 

2. Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting 

3. Presentation of sketches. 

4. Reading of the club paper. 

5. Reports of committees. 

6. Miscellaneous business. 

7. Proposals and election of members. 

8. Adjournment. 



In-door Amusements. 313 

IX. Amendments to Constitution. 
This Constitution can be amended only at a regular meet 
ing by a two-thirds vote, due notice of intended amendment 
having been given at the previous regular meeting. 

Printing Presses. 
Little printing presses may be had at such reasonable prices 
that some member might have one ; in that case the club paper, 
printed in due form, would prove a souvenir which would be 
prized and carefully kept by each member, especially should it 
contain an article by himself. In the original club the paper 
was carefully and neatly written in a blank-book, and in some 
instances illustrated by an artistic member. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 
THE BOY'S OWN PHUNNYGRAPH, 

TO BE EXHIBITED 

By Prof. Edd and Son. 

In winter-time, when a great part of a boy's fun must 
be found in-doors, it is a good thing to know how to get up 
amateur exhibitions of various kinds. In this way boys can 
have a good time while preparing the shows, and may also 
afford a great deal of pleasure to their companions and friends 
who make up the audiences. 

One of the most entertaining parlor exhibitions which can 
be given at a moderate expense by a party of bright boys, ac- 
customed to the use of carpenters' tools, is ** The Boy's Own 
Phunnygraph," invented by the author, who once exhibited 
one at an amateur performance before an audience of five hun- 
dred people. 

The first thing necessary in the construction of this very 
peculiar machine is a dry-goods box, large enough for a boy to 
sit inside of it without discomfort. The top must be firmly 
nailed on and the two sides taken off, thus leaving nothing but 
the top, bottom, and two ends of the box. The sides, each of 
which probably consists of two or three pieces of board, are to 
serve as doors, and therefore must be firmly fastened together 
by means of cleats or narrow strips of board nailed across 
them. One side of the box, which we shall call side A, must be 



The Boy's Own Phunnygraph. 



315 




3i6 . Winter, 



very strong, and will probably require three cleats. The othef 
side, B, which is in front when the apparatus is in use, must 
now be fastened to the box by a pair of hinges strong enough 
to sustain its weight. There should be a hook on it, to keep it 
shut when necessary. 

A shelf wide enough for a small-sized boy to sit upon must 
be attached to side A, and should be supported by iron braces. 
Strong leather straps will do if a blacksmith is not handy, but 
they must be very firmly fastened to the shelf and to the back 
door of the box, as we shall now call side A. As a small boy 
with a strong voice is to sit on this shelf, it would ruin the ex- 
hibition if the shelf were to break down, not to speak of the 
damage which might be done to the boy. Hence this back 
door must be fastened to the box by heavy gate or barn-door 
hinges. 

Two strong wooden bars or handles must now be secured 
to the bottom of the box, and should project far enough at the 
ends of the box to allow a boy to stand between them, at each 
end, when the box is to be lifted or carried. 

The rest of the necessary work is very easy. A crank, or 
turning handle (which will turn nothing), is to be fastened to 
one end of the box ; and two holes — about two inches in diam- 
eter — are to be made, one in the front door and one in the top 
of the box. In each of these a tin or pasteboard horn is to be 
fastened — the one on top to be smaller than the other. 

Then on the inside of the box a round stick — a broom-stick 
will answer — is to be placed on two notched blocks fastened to 
the ends of the box, so that it can be easily taken out of its place 
by the small boy, and put back again, when occasion requires. 
A tomato-can may be stuck on* the broom-handle, so that it 
will look like a tin cylinder containing something or other ot 
importance. This round stick, with its cylinder, is only for 
show, but it should not be omitted. 



The Boy's Own Phunnygraph. 317 

Nothing more is now necessary but a pair of wooden trestles, 
or horses, such as carpenters use, on which the box is to stand 
during the exhibition. 

Having explained how to make this novel phonograph, I 
have only to tell you how it is to be used. It is evident, from 
what I have said, that there is to be a small boy in that box, 
and the fact is that he is the most important part of the whole 
machine ; for this is only a piece of fun, intended to excite 
curiosity and amusement in the audience, who may, perhaps, 
imagine that there is a small boy somewhere about the appa- 
ratus, but who cannot see where he is. 

The phunnygraph, which should stand in a room opening 
into that in which the audience is to assemble, or it may be 
behind a curtain, must be arranged in working order some 
minutes before the time fixed for the exhibition to com- 
mence. 

The way to arrange it is as follows : The back door of the 
box must be opened and the small boy seated on the shelf. 
The door is closed, the boy going into the box as it shuts. The 
front door is also shut. If the broom-handle and tomato-can 
are in the boy's way, he can take them ddwn and put them on 
one side. 

The Professor — who is to exhibit the workings of the ma- 
chine, and who should be a boy able to speak fluently and 
freely before an audience — must now come out and announce 
that the exhibition is about to begin. He should see that the 
wooden horses are so placed that the box will rest properly 
upon them, and should make all the little preparations which 
may be necessary. Then, after a few words of introduction, 
he may call for his phunnygraph, and the box will be borne in 
by two boys. 

After the bearers have walked around the stage, so that 
both sides of the box may be seen by the audience, it must be 



3i8 



IVinfer. 




The Boy's Own Phunnygraph. 319 

placed on its trestles, or stands, with the front door toward the 
company. 

The Professor will then call attention to the fact that the 
persons present have seen each side of the box, and can see 
under and all around it, thus assuring themselves that it has no 
connection with anything outside of it, except the stands on 
which it rests. He will then proceed to open it, taking care to 
open the back door first. The small boy swings back with 
the door, which conceals him from the audience as it stands 
open. As soon as the Professor announces that he is about to 
open the box, the small boy must put the broom-stick in its 
place if he has taken it down. Then the Professor throws open 
the front door and shows that there is nothing in the box but 
the rod and cyfinder, which seem to be attached to the crank. 
What machinery may be concealed in that little tin cylinder, he 
does not feel called upon to say. 

After a few minutes for a general observation of the inside 
of the box, he closes it, being very careful to shut the front door 
first. Then the small boy takes down the broom-stick, puts it 
out of his way, and proceeds to make himself comfortable 
and ready for business. 

The Professor now begins to exhibit the phunnygraph by 
speaking into the horn at the top of the box. He generally 
commences with a short sentence, pronouncing each word 
loudly and clearly, so that every one can hear it. He gives 
the crank a few turns and calls upon the audience to be very 
quiet and listen, and then, in a very few moments, the same 
words that he used are repeated from the horn in the front of 
the box, the small boy within imitating, as nearly as possible, 
the voice and tone of the Professor. 

The exhibition may go on as long as the audience continues 
to be interested and amused. All sorts of things may be spoken 
into the t^ox, which, after a few turns of the crank, will be re- 



320 . Winter, 



peated from the mouth-piece or horn in the front door. Various 
sounds may be reproduced by means of this machine, and an 
ingenious Professor and a smart small boy can make a deal 
of fun. 

A startling final effect may be produced if, after the Pro- 
fessor has crowed into the upper horn, the boy inside can 
manage, unperceived — say by means of a small sliding-panel — 
to throw out a live, strong-voiced rooster. 

But it must not be supposed that an exhibition of this kind 
will be successful without a good deal of careful preparation 
and several rehearsals. Every one should be perfectly familiar 
with his duty before a performance in front of an audience is at- 
tempted. The box-doors should work perfectly, the small boy 
should be able to sit on his shelf in such a way that his head 
will never stick up when the back door is open, and he should 
practice putting up the broom-stick when the Professor an- 
nounces that the box is to be opened. By the way, if the box 
is opened several times during the performance to oil the rod, 
or to do some little thing to the cylinder, it will help to excite 
the curiosity of some of the audience ; but the Professor must 
not forget that the front door must never be open when the 
back door is shut. The boys who carry the box should also 
carefully practice their business, so as to set the box down 
properly on its supports, and to see that it is firmly placed. It 
may be necessary for one or both of them to sit on the front 
handles when the back door, with the boy on it, is swung back, 
so as to balance his weight and prevent an upset. But experi- 
ment will show whether this is necessary or not. 
\ As to the business of the Professor and the small boy, that, 
of course, must be carefully studied. It will not do to rely on 
inspiration for the funny things which must be said by the 
Professor, and imitated by the boy in the box. The Professor 
may bark like a dog, crow like a cock, or make any curious 



The Boys Own Phunnygraph. 321 

sound he pleases, provided he knows, from practise at rehear- 
sal, that the small boy can imitate him. 

The cost of the box, hinges, braces, etc., will probably be 
between two and three dollars. If the box is painted, or cov- 
ered with cheap muslin, it ^vUl look much more mysterious and 
scientific. 
21 



CHAPTER XXXV. 
HOW TO MAKE PUPPETS AND A PUPPET-SHOW. 

The puppet-show is certainly an old institution; and, for 
aught I know, the shadow-pantomime may be equally ancient. 
But the puppet-show here described originated, so far as I am 
aware, within our family circle, having gradually evolved itself 
from a simple sheet of paper hung on the back of a chair, with 
a light placed on the seat of the chair behind the paper. 

The puppets (not the most graceful and artistic) originally 
were impaled upon broom-straws, and by this means their 
shadows were made to jump and dance around in the most 
lively manner, to the intense delight of a juvenile audience. 
As these juveniles advanced in years and knowledge, they 
developed a certain facility with pencil and scissors ; the rudi- 
mentary paper animals and fairies gradually assumed more 
possible forms ; the chair-back was replaced by a wooden soap 
or candle-box with the bottom knocked out ; and the sheet of 
paper gave way to a piece of white muslin. Thus, step by 
step, grew up the puppet-show, from which so much pleasure 
and amusement have been derived by the writer and his 
young friends that he now considers it not only a pleasure, 
but his duty, to tell his readers how to make one like it for 
themselves. 

The construction of properties and actors, and the manipu- 
lation of the puppets at an exhibition, are by no means the 
le:ist of the fun. To start the readers fairly in their career of 
stage-managers, this diapter tells how to build the theatre. 



How to Make Puppets and a Puppet-Show, 323 

make the actors, and'the next chapter gives an original adapta* 
tion of an old story, prepared especially for a puppet-show. 



How to Make the Stage. 

Among the rubbish of the lumber-room, or attic, you can 
hardly fail to find an old frame of some kind — one formerly 
used for a picture or old-fashioned mirror would be just the 
thing. Should your attic contain no frames, very little skill 
with carpenters' tools is required 
to manufacture a strong wooden 
stretcher. It need not be orna- 
mental, but should be neat and 
tidy in appearance, and about two 
feet long by eighteen inches high. 

On the back of this tack a piece 

of white muslin, being careful to 

have it stretched perfectly tight, 

like a drum - head. The cloth 

should have no seams nor holes in 

it to mar the plain surface. 

*t- ^ .... 

A simple way to support the frame in an upright position is 

to make a pair of " shoes," of triangular pieces of wood. In 

the top of each shoe a rectangular notch should be cut, deep 

enough to hold the frame firmly. Fig. 203 shows a wooden 

frame, and the manner in which the shoes should be made. 




Fig. 203, — Wooden Frame for 
Puppet-Show. 



The Scenery 

can be cut out of card-board. Very natural-looking trees may 
be made of sticks with bunches of pressed moss pasted upon 
the ends. Pressed maiden-hair fern makes splendid tropical 
foHage, and tissue or any other thin paper may be used for 
still water. Thin paper allows the light to pass partially 



324 



Winter, 



through, and the shadow that the spectator sees is lighter than 
the silhouette scenery around, and hence has a sort of translu- 
cent, watery look. Scenery of all kinds should be placed flat 
against the cloth when in use. 




Fig. 204. — Diagram of the Old Mill. 

And now that you have a general idea how the show is 
worked, I will confine my remarks for the present to the play 
in hand. It is a version of the old story of " Puss-in-Boots," 
and there will be given here patterns for all the puppets neces- 



How to Make Puppets and a Puppet-Show. 325 

sary, although in the court scene you can introduce as many 
more as you like. 
The first scene is 



The Old Mill. 

This scene should be made of such a length that, with the 
bridge, it will just fit in the frame. Take the measurement of 
the inside of the frame. Then take a stiff piece of card-board 
of the requisite length, and with 
a pencil carefully copy the illus- 
tration (Fig. 204), omitting the 
wheel. Lay the card-board flat 
upon a pine board or old kitchen 
table, and with a sharp knife 
(the file-blade is the best) follow 
the lines you have drawn. Cut 
out the spaces where the water 
is marked, and paste tissue-pa- 
per in their place. Take anoth- 
er piece of card-board and cut 
out a wheel ; in the centre of 
this cut a small square hole, 
through which push the end of a stick, as in Fig. 205. Drive a 
pin into the end of the stick, allowing it to protrude far enough 
to fit easily into a slot cut for that purpose in the bridge where 
it comes under the mill (see Fig. 204). The wheel can then be 
made to turn at pleasure by twirling between the fingers the 
stick to which the wheel is attached. 




Fig. 205 



The Mill V^heel with 
handle attached. 



Puss. 
To make puss, take a piece of tracing-paper and carefully 
trace with a soft pencil the outlines of the cat, from the illus- 
tration here given. Tack the four corners of the tracing re 



326 



Winter, 



versed (that is, with the tracing under) on a piece of card-board. 
Any business card will answer for this purpose. Now, by 
going over the lines (which will show through the tracing-paper) 
with a hard pencil, you will find it will leave a sufficiently strong 
impression on the card to guide you in cutting out the puppet 




Puss as he first appears. 





Live Rabbit. 



Dead Rabbit. 



Almost all puppets can be made in the same way. Puss as 
he first appears, the rabbit, rat, and bag, should be impaled 
upon the end of a broom-straw ; but the remaining puppets 
should each have a stick or straw attached to one leg, or some 
other suitable place, just as the stick is pasted to the donkey's 
leg as represented in Fig. 206. 



How to Make Puppets and a Puppet-Show. 327 



CORSANDO AND THE DONKEY 

are made of two separate pieces, as indicated in Fig. 206. 
The dotted line shows the continuation of the outhne of the for- 
ward piece. Cut 
out the two pieces 
in accordance 
with the diagram, 
and then place the 
tail-piece over the 
head - piece, and 
at the point 
marked ^' knot," 
make a pin-hole 
through both 
pieces of the pup- 
pet. Tie one end 
of a piece of heavy- 
thread into a good 
hard knot ; put 
the other end of 
the thread through 
the holes just 
made, draw the 
knotted end close 
up against the 

puppet and then "Fig. 206. — Corsando on his Donkey. 

tie another knot upon the opposite side, snug against the card- 
board ; cut off the remaining end of the thread. Having done 
this, tie a piece of fine thread to the point near the knee of Cor- 
sando, and fasten a stick to the foreleg of the donkey, as shown 
in Fig. 206. Paste a straw in one of Corsando's hands for a 
whip, and two pieces of string in the other hand for a halter or 




328 



Winter. 



bridle. By holding in one hand the stick attached to the leg ol 
the donkey, and gently pulling the thread, marked ** string" in 
the diagram, the donkey can be made to kick up in a most 
»atural and mirth-provoking manner. 

The Royal Coach. 
When you make the king and princess in their coach, by 




Fig. 207. — King and Princess in the Royal Coach. 

cutting out the king separately and fastening the lower end of 
his body to the coach in the manner described for joining the 



How to Make Puppets and a Puppet-Show, 329 

two parts of the donkey, the king can in this manner be made 
to sit upright, or to fall forward and look out in the attitude 
shown by Fig. 207, which explains the construction perfectly, 
/ and B being two small blocks pasted on to the card-board 




Fig. 208.— Leader, or First Horse, of Royal Coach. 

for the king's arm or body to rest on. Fig. 208 shows the first 
horse of the royal coach ; the second horse is a duplicate of the 
first, minus the rider. Fasten the horses and coach together by 
pasting a Ijng flat stick extending across from horse to horse, 
and to the coach, where the traces would be. 



330 



IVtnter. 



Carabas. 

Fig. 209 shows Carabas in a bathing suit. 

Fig. 210 shows the same gentleman in court dress. 





Fig. 209. — Carabas in Bathing Suit. Fig. 210. — Carabas in Court Dress. 



How to Work the Puppets. 

To make puss carry the bag, the operator will have to use 
both hands, holding in one hand the stick attached to puss, and 
in the other the straw attached to the bag. Then, by keeping 
the bag close against pussy's paws, it will appear to the 
audience as if he were holding the bag. In the same manner 
he is made to carry the dead rabbit to the king. When the 
rabbit seems to hop into the bag, he in reality hops behind it, 
and then drops below the stage. 

The operator must remember never to allow his hands 



How to Make Puppets and a Puppet-Show. 331 

to pass between the light and the cloth, as the shadow of an 
immense hand upon the cloth would ruin the whole effect. 
All the puppets for each scene should be carefully selected be- 
fore the curtain rises, and so placed that the operator can at 
once lay his hand upon the one wanted. There must be no 
talking behind the scenes, and the puppets should be kept 
moving in as life-like a manner as possible while their speeches 
are being read for them. Several rehearsals are necessary to 
make the show pass off successfully. 

Stage Effects. 

One would naturally suppose that with only a candle and a 
cloth screen for a stage, and some puppets cut out of card or 
pasteboard for actors, that the stage effects would be very 
limited, and consequently the plays stiff and uninteresting ; this 
is, however, not true ; any of the familiar old fairy tales may, 
with a little alteration, be arranged for a puppet-show and put 
upon the stage in such a manner as to amuse and interest an 
audience of young and old people. Jointed puppets, by the 
aid of movable lights, sticks, and strings, may be made to go 
through the most surprising contortions and manoeuvres. 

Boys that have a talent for drawing will find an unlimited 
amount of amusement in drawing and cutting out the puppets ; 
but for those boys who have neither a talent nor a taste for the 
use of the pencil, original puppets are necessarily out of the 
question. All the characters of any play can be made by 
selecting appropriate figures of animals and men from illustrated 
books and papers, and enlarging or reducing them after the 
manner described in Chapter XXVI., page 250. In this manner 
the puppets given in this chapter may be enlarged to almost 
any required proportions. 

At a Sunday-school entertainment, given in Brooklyn last 
winter, the following play of " Puss-in-Boots " was produced by 

V 



332 ' Winter, 



pasteboard actors a foot high, to the great delight of a large 
and enthusiastic audience of mixed young and old folks. 

How to Make a Magical Dance. 

Have one or two jointed figures appear and commence to 
dance, and while they are capering around, let another light be 
brought in ; immediately there will be two figures for every one 
that first appeared upon the scene. Each light casts a shadow, 
and the shadows are all that is visible to the audience, so to 
them the puppets appear to fall into doubles in the most unac- 
countable manner. If the puppets are kept stationary, and the 
two lights moved backward and forward, the puppets will ap- 
pear to move around, pass and repass each other ; thus, with 
two or three lights moving behind the screen, two or three 
puppets can be transformed into a crowd that will be in constant 
motion. 

How to Make a Sea Scene. 

Cut two duplicate pieces of pasteboard in the form of 
waves (see Fig. 2ii). Let each piece be a little longer than the 




Fig. 211. — Pasteboard Waves. 

frame of the puppet-show stage. When the light throws the 
shadow of one of these pieces of pasteboard upon the muslin 
screen, it looks like a simple row of scallops ; but when the two 
pieces are moved backward and forward, it gives motion to the 
shadows, and they have the appearance of rolling waves; a 
pasteboard ship rocking upon the waves will add to the effect. 
A lighthouse can be cut out of pasteboard and placed upon a 
pasteboard rock at one side ; thunder may be imitated by roll<. 



How to Make Puppets and a Puppet-Show. 333 

ing croquet balls over the top of a wooden table, and lightning 
represented by small flashes of gunpowder. 

If the puppet ship be held at first some distance from 
the screen the shadow will be large, and if the puppet slowly 
approach the screen it will decrease in size and have the ap- 
pearance of gradually sailing away. In this manner the hero 
and heroine may be made to escape aboard a vessel from the 
irate and stern parents. Many other scenes can be produced 
with very simple means that will suggest themselves to the 
young showmen after a few experiments with the puppet-show. 
Colored lights used very sparingly often come in with telling 
effect. A phantom ship can be made to follow the real one by 
having another light some distance off; one light will cast a 
heavy shadow and the other a faint one, which will move as the 
light moves ; move the light up and down, and the ship and 
waves follow and keep time with the light. Many other effects 
1 used to produce in my puppet-shows that at present escape 
my memory, but no doubt the reader will think of them him- 
self if he becomes interested enough to make a puppet-show 
for the entertainment of himself and friends, Christmas or New 
Year's eve ; in which case Old St. Nicholas, with his sleigh 
drawn by deer and loaded with toys, must form part of the 
show. 





Miller. 



Carabas (not yet a Marquis). 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

PUSS-IN-BOOTS. 

Dramatized and Adapted for a Puppet-Show, 

PUSS-IN-BOOTS. 

Puppets : Carabas, afterward the Marquis ; his oldest brother, the Miller ; 
CoRSANDO, his next older brother; Puss-in-Boots ; Wolfgang, the Ogre, 
King ; Princess ; King's Servants ; Donkey ; Rabbit • Bag ; Rat. 
Also, if desired, Courtiers. 

Act I. Scene I. 
Scene : Landscape with tree, bridge, and mill at one side. CoRSANr>o discovered 
riding the Donkey backward and forward over the bridge. Miller and Cara- 
bas emerge from the mill and stop under tree. 

Miller : Come, come, brother Carabas, don't be downcast I 
You know, as the youngest, you must be the last 



Puss-in-Boots, 335 



Our father, of course, left to me the old mill, 
And the ass to Corsando, for so reads the will ; 
And he had nothing else but our big pussy-cat, 
Which is all he could give you. A fool can see that! 
Yet Dick Whittington once the Lord Mayor became, 
And his start and yours are precisely the same. 
But see ! I am wasting my time from the mill, 
For while I am talking the wheels are all still. 
I have nothing to give you — be that understood. 
So farewell, my brother ! May your fortune be good. 

[Exit Miller into mill, when wheel begins to turn. Corsando approaches, 
and stopping the Donkey in front of Carabas, addresses him.] 

Corsando : Now, dear brother Carabas, take my advice : 

Go hire out your cat to catch other men's mice. 

[Corsando turns to leave ; Puss comes out and gives the Donkey a scratch, caus- 
ing him to kick wildly as he goes off.] 

Carabas : O Fortune, befriend me ! what now shall I do ? 
Come, Pussy, stay by me — I depend upon you. 
You are all that I have, but can do me no good, 
Unless I should kill you and cook you for food. 
Puss : Meow ! Meow ! Kill me not, my good master, I pray— 
Have mercy upon me ! Now list what I say : 

I'm no common cat, 

I assure you of that ! 
In the top of the mill, where the solemn owl hoots, 
You will find, if you look, an old pair of top-boots. 

Bring them to me. 

With the bag you will see 

Under the mill, by the roots of yon tree. 

Carabas : Well, Puss, what you ask for I will not refuse, 

Since I have all to gain and have nothing to lose. 

[Exit into the mill, 
[Puss stands a moment as if to think, then capers up and down the stage and speaks,? 



33^ Winter. 



Puss : A rat ? Bah ! what's that ? 

Sir Whittington's cat 
Would have grown very fat 
Had she lived upon such prey- 
All the time, day after day, 
Till she made a Lord Mayor of her master ! 
But mine shall gain a name 
Through much sweeter game, 

And not only climb higher but faster ! 

[Exit. 
[Shift the scene by removing the light and, while the stage is dark, removing the 
mill and in its place setting up some trees.] 

Act I. Scene II. 
Scene : Woods. Enter Puss-IN-Boots, carrying Bag. 

Puss : Mey-o-w ! m-e-y-o-w ! 

Were it not for these boots I should sure have pegged out; 
But if I'm not mistaken, there's game hereabout, 

For I scent in the air 

A squirrel or hare. 
I wonder now whether he's lean, lank, or stout ? 

But I know a habit 

Of the shy little rabbit : 
He'll enter this bag, and then, my ! won't I grab it? 

[Arranges Bag and hides ; Rabbit comes out, and after running away several times, 
enters the Bag, v^^hen Puss pounces upon it.] 

Puss : To the King in a moment I'll take you, my dear, 
For he's e'en over-fond of fat rabbits, I hear. 

An' I once gain his ear 

I see my way clear ; 
For I'll tell him a story both wondrous and queer. 
And then my poor master'll have nothing to fear — • 
If he acts as I bid him, good fortune is near ! 

[Curtain.] 



Fuss-tn- Boots. 



337 



Act II. Scene I. 

Scene : King's Palace. King discovered standing behind a throne. Princess 
and attendants standing around. A loud "meow ! " heard without. King and 
Court start. Enter Puss, with Rabbit in his paws. 

Puss : Meow ! My great liege, may your Ma- 
jesty please 
To smile on a slave who thus here, on his 
knees, 

A humble offering 
From Carabas doth bring. 
And, Sire, my master further bade me say, 
If it please his gracious King, he will gladly 

send each day 
The choicest game that in his coverts he can 

find; 
And your kind acceptance of it still closelier 

will bind 
A hand and a heart as loyal and true 
As e'er swore allegiance, O King, unto you ! 
King : Your master has a happy way 

Of sending gifts. Thus to him say, 
That we accept his offer kind, 
And some good day, perhaps, may find 
A way to thank him which will prove 
We value most our subjects' love. 
Carabas, is your master's name ? 
What rank or title doth he claim ? 
Shall we among the high or low 
Look for your lord, who loves us so ? 
Puss : A marquis is my master. Sire ; 

In wealth and honor none are higher^ 

22 




The King: '^ Youi 
master has a happy 
way of sending gifts. 



338 Winter, 



fAside. 

(Cats must have a conscience callous 
Who work their way into a palace !) 
Now, if it please your Majesty, 
I will return, and eagerly 
To my marquis-master bring 
This kind message from his King, 

[Exit, bowing. Curtain.j 

Act II. Scene II. 
Scene: High-road; one or two trees. Carabas and Puss-in-Boots discovered. 
Puss : Meow ! my good master, have pa- 
tience, I pray. 
Carabas : Patience to doctors ! Fm hungry, 

I say ! 
Puss : All will go well if you mind me to-day. 
And while the sun shines we must surely 
make hay. 
Carabas : Carry your hay to Jericho ! 
Who can eat hay, I'd like to know ! 
Puss : Meow ! my good master, your help I 
implore, 
And while I help fortune, you open the 
door. 
Carabas : No house do I own, so where is 
the door ? — 
Ah ! Pussy, forgive me, I'll grumble no 

more. 

But help all I can in your nice little plan ; T^® Princess. 

For I know you have brains, Puss, as well as a man. 
Puss : Meow ! my good master, e'en though you froze, 
You must bathe in yon river ! 

[Exjt Carabas.] 




Puss-in- Boots. 



339 



And now for his clothes ! 
"The King's coach is coming, and I've laid a scheme — ■ 
Though of that, I am sure, the King doesn't dream. 
The coach is in sight ! Now, may I be blessed 
If I don't wish my master was wholly undressed ! 

[Loud cries without. ] 

There ! now hear him screaming — the water is cold ; 
I'll go bury his clothes, for they need it ! they're old. 
[Exit Puss, who soon returns. As he re-enters, the King's coach appears.} 

Puss : Meow ! my good master ! Alas for him ! 

Help ! fire ! murder ! My master can't swim. 

[Runs to coach.] 



Servant with boat-hook. 



Ho, slaves ! to the rescue!" 



Help ! help ! gracious King, or Lord Carabas drowns ! 
King : Ho, slaves ! To the rescue ! ^ A hundred gold crowns 



340 Winter. 



Will we give to the man who saves Carabas* life ! 

[Servants rush across the stage. King continues, aside :] 

My daughter shall soon make the marquis a wife. 
?USS (aside) : Mighty keen are a cat's ears ! 

Who knows all that Pussy hears ! 

This is better than I hoped for, by a heap. 

What a very lucky thing 

The blessed, kind old King 

Doesn't know this shallow river isn't deep ! 

[Exit Puss, running after Servants. Puss immediately returns, crying :] 

King ! what a combobbery ! 
There's been an awful robbery, 

And no clothing for the marquis can we find. 
King : That is no great disaster, 

For tell your worthy master 
We always pack an extra suit behind. 

If we can trust our eyes, 

He's just about our size. 
So, while in yonder grove we take a rest, 

Your master'll not encroach ; 

Tell him to use our coach, 
And not to haste, but drive up when he's dressedc 

[Exit coach, backing out, the Driver crying :] 

Whoa ! Back ! Back ! No room to turn here ! 
Whoa! Back! Back! 

[Enter Carabas, in bathing suit. Pus^ runs after him.] 

Puss : Meow ! my good master I 

1 couldn't do it faster. 

But I've now a costly suit, and just your size. 
In the King's coach you're to ride, 
With the Princess by your side ; 



Puss-m- Boots, 341 

Make love to her, and praise her beauteous eyes. 

And, master, list to me ! 

Whate'er you hear or see, 
Be very sure you never show surprise. 

[Curtain.] 

Act III. Scene /. 

Scene : Interior of Ogre's castle. Puss-in-Boots discovered. 
Puss : I'm here at last ! 

Much danger's past; 
But such long tramps my liking 
hardly suits ; 
'Twas wisdom when I guessed 
That it was surely best 
To secure these blessed, helpful 
old top-boots. 
I was made to understand 
That all this beauteous land 
Belonged to this man-eating old 
Wolfgang ; 
But as down the road I sped, 
To each laborer I said : 
Your life upon your answer now 
doth hang. 
When the sovereign comes 

this way, 
When he questions, you, 

Wolfgang: " Blood and thunder 11 " . ^ ^ f J 9 

straightway, 
** This land belongs to Carabas," must say. 
[Awful growling and noise heard, and Wolfgang enters.] 

Wolfgang : Blood and thunder ! 
Who, I wonder, 




342 Winter. 



Sent me such a tempting pussy-cat for dinner? 
I can't under- 
stand the blunder ; 
But I'm glad, my pussy-cat, that you're no thinner. 
Puss : M-e-o-w ! My brother Wolfgang (ah, how rich !) 
I wouldn't have believed 
You so easily deceived. 
Know that I am Catoscratch, the witch. 
Wolfgang : Rattledy bang ! 
Snake and fang ! 
So you're a witch, all skilled in herbs and roots ! 
My power is no less, 
But I must confess 
That I ne'er before this saw a cat in boots ! 
Puss : Meow ! my brother, speak not of my skill : 

'Tis true I can change to a cat, but no more, 
While fame says that you can assume at your will 
Any form that you please, be it higher or lower^ 
Many a league, 
With much fatigue. 
From a country of ice and snow, 
On my broomstick steed 
Have I come, with speed, 
These great wonders to see and know. 
Wolfgang : Cuts and slashes ! 
Blood in splashes ! 
Who dares doubt what I can do ? 
Now tell me, old witch. 
Of the many forms, which 
Shall I take to prove this to you ? 
Puss : Meow ! my great Wolfgang, it seems to me that 
Of all 'twould be hardest to turn to a rat ! 



Puss-in-Boofs. 343 

[Wolfgang must be drawn backward toward the light. This will cause his 
shadow to grow to immense proportions. After slowly lifting him over the candle, 
take up the Rat and just as slowly put it over the light, and move the puppet up 
intil it touches the cloth. The audience will see Wolfgang swell up to a shapeless 
mass, and then, apparently, reduce himself to a tiny rat. Puss must then be made 
to pounce upon the Rat, and by passing the Rat behind Puss, and then letting it 
drop, it will look to the audience as if Puss swallowed the Rat whole.] 

Puss: Bah! Ugh! Spat! 
What a horrid rat ! 

[Struts up and down the stage.] 

Well, I think for a ;at Fm pretty plucky J 

Now ril go and bring 

The Princes and the King 
To the castle of Lord Carabas, The Lucky ! 

[Puss, dancing frantically, laughing and purring, nearly tumbles against the King, 
Carabas, and the Princess, as they enter.] 

Puss : Pardon, most gracious Sire, pardon, great King! 
That your humble servant should do such a thing ; 
It's because I'm delighted, 
More than if I had been knighted, 
That the marquis, my master, should entertain the King. 
King : A truly faithful servant you must be, Pussy. 

When the marquis can spare you, come to me, Pussy. 
We'll see that you'r.e not slighted ; 
Even now you shall be knighted — 
Sir Thomas Cat de Boots your name shall be, Pussy. 
King (continuing to Carabas) : 
This castle, marquis brave, 
Beats the very best we have. 
Carabas : Most gracious Sire, there's not a thing 
Belongs to me 

[.Puss rushes frantically to Carabas, and whispers in his ear ; then returns.] 



344 ' Winter, 



Carabas : But to my King. 

For my life and all I have to thee I owe. 
King : My Carabas, we're pleased ; 

Our mind is cheered and eased, 
For we feared that this great castle held a loe. 
'Tis a princely home, 'tis true, 
And we'll make a prince of you. 
You shall wed my charming daughter, ere we go. 
Puss: M-e-o-w! M-e-o-w ! M-e-o-w ! 
What would say his brothers now, 
If they saw Lord Marquis Carabas the Great? 
And until the last horn toots 
(With Sir Thomas Cat de Boots), 
He shall ©ccupy his present high estate ! 

[All dance. Curtaia,] 




' A rat ? Bah 1 what's that ? ' 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

HOW TO MAKE A MAGIC LANTERN— A KALEI- 
DOSCOPE—A FORTUNE-TELLER'S BOX, ETC. 

Upon opening his eyes late one summer morning the author 
was very much startled and astonished at an apparition he be- 
held upon the wall. He saw at one side of the room, in a wav- 
ing circle of light, a horrible, gaping monster that was about to 
make a mouthful of a wriggling, big-headed creature, as large 
as a cat. Upon turning over in bed and facing the window, 
the cause of this strange phenomenon was seen. The ** gap- 
ing monster" proved to be a tiny gar, and the wriggler noth- 
ing more nor less than a tadpole. The curtains of the window 
had fallen down upon each side of a glass globe in which some 
aquarium pets were quarrelling. A ray of the morning sun had 
found its way into the darkened room through the fish globe, 
and by some unaccountable means transformed the globe into 
a sort of magic lantern lens and slide, throwing the magnified 
reflections of the inmates of the aquarium upon the wall. The 
gradual change in the position of the sun caused the vision to 
fade away in a few moments, and the writer has never since 
been able to arrange the light so as to reproduce the same effect.. 
Fortunately, however, some one else has discovered the princi- 
ple, and from it evolved a simple magic lantern, which any boy 
can make for himself ; an account of this invention lately ap- 
peared in the Scientific American, and the editors of that 
paper have kindly consented to allow the description to be 
used for the benefit of the * 'American Boys.'* 



346 



Winter, 



All that is required for this apparatus is an ordinary wooden 
packing-box, A (Fig. 212), a kerosene hand-lamp, B, with an 
Argand burner, a small fish globe, C, and a burning-glass or 
magnifying- glass (a common double or plano-convex lens), D 
In one end of the box, A, cut a round hole, E, large enough tc 
admit a portion of the globe, C, suspended within the box, A 
with the lamp, B, close to it. The globe is filled with water, 
from which the air has been expelled by boiling. 

Now moisten the surface of a piece of common window- 
glass with a strong solution of common table salt, dissolved in 

Of 




Fig, 212. — A Magic Lantern. 

water, and place It vertically in a little stand made of wire, as 
shown at F, so that the light from the lamp, B, will be focused 
on it by the globe, which in this case answers as the condenser. 
The image of the glass will then be projected on the wall 01 
screen of white cloth, G, providing the lens, D, is so placed io 
the path of the rays of light as to focus on the wall or screen 
In a few minutes the salt solution on the surface of the glasSj 
F, will begin to crystallize, and as each group of crystals takes 
beautiful forms, its image will be projected on the wall ot 
screen, G, and will grow, as if by magic, into a beautiful forest 
of fern-like trees ; it will continue to grow as long as there is 
any solution on the glass to crystallize. Then by adding a few 
drops of any transparent color to the water in the globe, the 



How to Make a Magic Lantern^ Etc, 347 

image on the screen will be illumined by shades of colored light. 
If the room in which the experiment is performed be very 
cold, frost crystals can be made by breathing on the glass, F. 
Many other experiments will suggest themselves, and when 
tried will be found both entertaining and instructive. 




A Home-made Kaleidoscope. 

At all glaziers* shops there are heaps of broken glass, com- 
posed of fragments of what were once long strips, cut with the 
diamond from pieces of 
window-pane, when fit- 
ting them for the sash. 
If you secure three of 
these strips of the same 
size, and tie them to- 
gether in the form 

shown by Fig. 2 1 3 , the ''"^- -'3- Kaleidoscope. 

strings will keep the glass in position. Cut a piece of semi- 
transparent writing-paper in the form shown by Fig. 214, so 
that it will fit on one end of the prism. With mucilage or paste 
fasten the overlapping edges to the glass ; 
then with dark or opaque paper make an- 
other piece to fit upon the opposite end of 
the kaleidoscope ; the opaque end-piece 
should have a round hole in its centre 
about the size of a silver twenty-cent piece 
— this is for the observer's eye. All that 
now remains to be done is to cover the 
sides of the apparatus with the same paper 
used for the eye-piece, and the kaleido- 
scope is finished. 
Drop a few bits of colored glass, beads or transparent peb- 
bles in and turn the writing-paper end to the light ; place your 




Fig. 214.— End Piece of 
Kaleidoscope. 



348 Winter, 



eye at the hole cut for that purpose in the opaque paper end, 
and as you look keep the prism slowly turning ; the reflection 
in' the glass will make the objects within take all manner of ever- 
changing, odd, and beautiful forms. A kaleidoscope made in 
the manner described is as serviceable and produces as good 
results as one for which you would have to pay several dollars 
at a store. One of the home-made ones can be manufactured 
in ten minutes if the pieces of glass be of the same length, and 
need no trimming to make them even. 

The Fortune-Teller's Box. 

There exists in all countries a class of people who make 
their living out of the proceeds derived from tricks and decep- 
tions practised upon the ignorant, credulous, or superstitious 
portion of the population. 

In the by-streets of almost any large city may be seen, signs 
posted up on dingy-looking houses, which, if they were to be 
believed, would lead us to think that the gifted race that live 
in these dwellings can, by the aid of spirits, fairies, or by the 
signs in the heavens, give accurate information of all past or 
future events. 

Some of these so-called mediums make such bungling at- 
tempts at magic and necromancy that it is a wonder that they 
are able to deceive any one. Others, however, perform some 
really wonderful tricks. 

With a little trouble and no expense any boy may fit him- 
self out as a fortune-teller, and have an unlimited amount of 
fun with his friends, who may be mystified and puzzled by sim- 
ple contrivances, which, if explained to them, would be imme- 
diately understood. The professional fortune-teller will take 
persons into a dimly lighted room and ask if they wish to see 
their future wives or husbands, as the case may be ; of course 
they do. The witch then leads them up to a table, which 



How to Make a Magic Lantern^ Etc. 349 



has an apparatus on top arranged so as to allow the dupes to 
peer in for a sight of their lover. When they really see what 
appear to be live, moving figures inside the tube, they go 
their ways rejoicing, fully convinced that there is truth in magic. 
One of these fortune- 
teller boxes can be 
made of any old wood- 
en box. Such as is 
used for soap or can- 
dle s is generally 
about the prpper di- 
mensions. 

Knock one end of 
the box out, and cut a 
square hole in the lid 
in which to fit an in- 
verted L-shaped appa- 
ratus. The L should be 
open at both ends, but 
tightly closed upon the 
four sides. A small 
mirror must be fitted 
in the L at the angle 
(see B, Fig. 215), and 
the L fitted in the 
square hole in the top 
of the wooden box in 




Fig. 215. — Construction of Fortune-Teller's Box. 



such a manner that any image cast upon the large looking-! 
glass, A, in the wooden box, will be again reflected in the 
smaller mirror, B, at the angle in the L, and from thence to the 
observer's eye when placed at the open end of the L. This 
can best be arranged by experiment. The open end of the 
wooden box must fit closely in a square hole cut in the parti- 



350 ' Winter, 



tion or curtain that separates the young magician's apartment 
from a room or closet occupied by an accomplice. Cover the 
box with a cloth which has a square hole in it, and fits snugly 
around the bottom of the L, covering and concealing the sus- 
picious-looking, large box beneath. If the work has been neatly 
done, the machine will look like an ordinary table or stand 
with an innocent-looking peep-box on top of it. 

Secure some friend for an accomplice, whom you know to 
possess a ready wit and a knack for '* making himself up," with 
the aid of burnt cork and a few old clothes, so as to take any 
comic character that the occasion may require, with only a few 
moments' notice. 

Supply him with what wardrobe he may require, burnt 
corks, flour, etc., and then fix up the programme between you, 
so that the boy behind the screen will know just what to do, 
from listening to what is going on in front, at the fortune-tel- 
ler's box. 

When all is arranged, the fortune-teller may announce to 
what friends or visitors he may have, that, owing to the conjunc- 
tion of certain planets, he is enabled to entertain them by show- 
ing to all who have any desire or curiosity to see such wonders, 
glimpses of the past and future, and to prove it, if any of the 
company would like to behold a life-like, moving image of a 
future wife or husband, he (the fortune-teller) can bring up the 
image in a magic telescope, which was obtained from a direct 
descendant of Aladdin. The young magician must, by precon- 
certed arrangement, bring a man or boy out for a first peep. 
At a private signal of a word or exclamation, the accomplice 
steps in front of the open end of the wooden box behind the 
partition, dressed as an old colored lady. The image is at once 
reflected upon the mirror at A, and from that to B, thence to 
the observer's eye. After the latter has had a good look, the 
rest of the company may be asked to take a peep and see their 



How to Make a Magic Lantern^ Etc, 351 



fortunate (?) friend's choice for a wife. When they see the old 
colored lady there will be a great laugh, in which the boy upon 
whom the joke has been played will join with all the greater 
^€st, because he knows he will soon have a chance to laugh at 
some one else. The fortune-teller must guard with zealous care 
the secret of the box, and must discourage any too curious per- 
sons from handling or examining the apparatus. A li tie mys- 
tery is necessary to keep up the fun. 

The Magic Cask. 
After the fortune-teller has amused his friends tMfficiently 
with his magic telescope, he may end the seance by inviting 
the company to another room and bidding them remain at the 
door while he examines something at the other end of the 
apartment — the something is 
covered with a cloth. Upon 
reaching the object, the ma- 
gician must turn suddenly 
and face the guests in the 
doorway, and, in vehement 
language, accuse them of 
doubting the reality of the 
visions he has conjured up for 
them, stating that he over- 
heard some among them say 
that it was nothing but a 
trick. Rather than be ac- Fig- 216.— The Magic Cask. 

cused of such deception, he, the great wizard, prefers to per- 
ish ! At this part the conjurer must quickly remove the cloth 
concealing the object in the corner, and disclose a barrel, 
marked in large letters. Gunpowder ! Striking a match, the 
seemingly desperate wizard applies it to a fuse that hangs from 
the bung of the barrel, and, assuming a tragic attitude, awaits 




352 . • WtJtter, 



the result. The guests will be uncertain what to do, and, half 
in doubt whether to laugh or run, they will probably stand their 
ground, but anxiously watch the fuse as the light creeps up 
toward the bung of the terrible cask of gunpowder. When the 
fire reaches the barrel there is an instant of suspense ; then 
some one in the secret lets an extension-table leaf fall upon the 
floor in the hall or adjoining room, starthng the guests and 
making a loud noise : instantly the staves of the barrel fly apart 
and fall upon all sides of the head, radiating out like the petals 
of a sunflower, from the centre of which the fortune-teller's ac- 
complice steps forth and greets the company. 

Hq-w the Barrel is Made. 

Any cask or barrel large enough to hold a boy in a crouch- 
ing position will do to manufacture a magic barrel from. . To 
make one of these trick-boxes requires no particular skill. It is 
necessary to remove one head for the top, and, after joining the 
parts of the other head firmly together by cleats nailed upon 
the inside (see Fig. i68. — Snow-ball Warfare), burn a hole with 
a red-hot poker through each stave near the bottom, then burn 
corresponding holes through the bottom head ; make the staves 
fast to the bottom by tying them with pieces of heavy twine. 
Around the top of the staves of the barrel tie another piece of 
twine ; remove all the hoops, and all that will hold the staves 
together will be the twine at the top (see Fig. 2i6) ; as soon as that 
is severed, the staves will fall asunder. Inside the barrel the 
accomplice crouches with open penknife in hand, and at the 
proper time he cuts the string by passing the blade of his knife 
between two staves. Left without support the barrel staves fall, 
exposing the gentleman within to the frightened spectators, who, 
when they discover that there really was no gunpowder in the 
cask, will welcome the new-comer most heartily. 

In amateur theatricals the magic cask can be brought in very 



How to Make a Magic Lantern, Etc, 353 

effectively with the aid of a red light and appropriate ceremony. 
The audience may be led to expect a most terrible explosion, 
and with bated breath watch the fuse as the light slowly creeps 
up nearer and nearer to the bung of the cask. When the time 
comes as much noise must be made as possible ; then, as the 
staves fall on all sides and spread out like a sunflower, a red 
light suddenly thrown upon a boy dressed like a scarlet imp, 
makes a pretty as well as a mirth -provoking transformation 
scene. 

Before exhibiting it, the barrel should be tried to see that it 
works properly, and the boy in the barrel should rehearse his 
part, and not forget to have a sharp-bladed knife ready to cut 
the cord at the given signal, otherwise the whole scene will 
*'all very flat. 
23 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

HDW TO MAKE THE DANCING FAIRIES, THE 
BATHER, AND THE ORATOR. 

The guests are led to a room, which is discovered to be 
dimly lighted and apparently unoccupied ; they are then told 
that it is the fairies' night, and that although the little people are 
incapable of appearing in their natural form so as to be discern- 
ible, yet on certain nights of the year the fairies are willing to 
enter into and animate artificial figures made for their use. 
While talking in this style, the performer must borrow three or 
four pocket-handkerchiefs from the guests, and, after bidding 
the latter be seated, proceed to make the handkerchiefs up into 
little figures. 

HoTV to Make a Handkerchief Doll. 

Roll up both edges of the handkerchief, as shown by Fig. 
217. Fold the end A over toward the end B, as shown by 
Fig. 218. Next draw the end B up between the corners of A 
until the handkerchief takes the form illustrated by Fig. 219. 
Bring the ends of B under C, and tie them in a simple knot, 
allowing the ends to project as in Fig. 221, which shows the 
back. The handkerchief now has the appearance of a little 
white man (Fig. 220 — front view). 

After the handkerchief men are finished, the company must 
be requested to stand or sit where they are, near the door, and 
on no account to move for fear of frightening the little people. 
Carrying the handkerchief dolls to the middle of the room, under 



How to Make the Dancing Fairies^ Etc, 355 



the chandelier, and making some passes over them, the magi- 
cian leaves the figures sitting upright upon the floor. One of 
the company may be then asked to play upon the piano. No 
sooner does the first note struck upon the instrument sound 
through the room, than signs of life become noticeable among 
the handkerchief figures ; they move, and, one by one, rise and 
stand. As the music becomes lively the handkerchiefs lose 




Fig. 217. Fig. 218. Fig. 219. Fig. 220. 

Evolutions of the Handkerchief. 



Fig. 221. 



their diffidence and dance about in a very active manner. 
After the dance is over the handkerchiefs are returned to the 
owners and the room vacated, to give the fairies an opportu- 
nity to rest, and the childrefiy that have, during the perform- 
ance, been hiding behind the furniture, an opportunity to make 
their escape unobserved. The children are as necessary as the 
handkerchief dolls, for it is by means of silken threads in the 
hands of the little folks that the fairies are made to dance and 
move about. For each handkerchief there is a piece of thread 
long enough to reach over the chandelier down to the floor. 
Each piece of thread terminates in a hook made of a crooked 
pin. While the magician is making the customary passes, he 
deftly hooks the figures on to the pins. Old and worldly wise 
people have been completely mystified by this simple Httle trick. 



356 



IVmter. 



In any attempt at magic or fortune -tfUing, the success of 
the experiment depends more upon the manner in which the 
deceptions are performed than upon the 
tricks themselves. The magician or for- 
tune-teller must be a person not liable 
to become flustered and confused at any 
little mishap. A boy with a cool head 
and ready invention can smooth over 
the most palpable mistakes and make 
his audience believe them all in the pro- 
gramme. 



The Bather 

is sure to produce a laugh whenever ex- 
hibited by a clever person. The pre- 
parations must be made in an apparent- 
ly careless manner, so as not to attract 
attention. Tie a simple knot in the end 
of a handkerchief and let it rest against 
the knuckles of the left hand, while the rest of the handkerchief 
dangle?^ below, as in Fig. 222 ; do this as if you were only ab- 
sent-mindedly playing with your pocket-hafidkerchief. Wrap 
the handkerchief around your 
two first fingers, as in Fig. 223 ; 
then, as if you had just thought 
of it, ask the company if they 
ever noticed how becoming the 
boithing costumes are to most 
people, adding, that to you a 
bather running down the beach 
always looks like this — here you 
make the little figure run rapidly along your lap or the table- 
top toward the company (Fig. 223). The ends of the fingers 




Fig. 222 --First position of 
H'Andkerchief. 




Fig. 223.— The Bather. 



How io Make the Dancing Fairies^ Etc, 357 



protruding from below the white handkerchief look exceedingly 
comical, while the knot on top will be at once recognized as the 
bather's head, done up in a handkerchief or towel to keep the 
salt water out of the hair. If among the company there be any 
who are familiar with 
the scenes at seaside 
summer resorts, they 
will be convulsed with 
laughter. Some peo- 
ple can entertain a 
company for a whole 
hour with nothing but 
a glib tongue and 
a p o c k e t-handker- 
chief. 

The Oraton 

This comical httle 
toy can be made by 
a boy who has really 
no k n o w 1 e d g e of 
drawing. 

From some col- 
ored chromo or illus- 
trated paper cut out 

an appropriate face Fig. 224. -The Orator. 

and paste it on a piece of card-board, as in the accompanying 
illustration (Fig. 224). Where the arms are to be, cut two holes 
large enough to admit two fingers of your hand. From a 
piece of dark cloth cut two pieces shaped like the front of a coat 
and paste them on in the proper place (Fig. 224). Cut another 
triangular piece of cloth for the vest ; let it be red or some 
bright color. Paste the vest on as shown by the diagram ; 




mfjj^ijgnjj^mm, 



358 ' Winter. 



make a collar by drawing the outlines as in the illustration and 
leaving it white between them ; any bit of bright ribbon will do 
for the necktie. Draw a couple of straight lines beneath the fig- 
ure to represent the top to a speaker's stand. From the same 

material that is used for the 



coat cut two pieces of cloth, 

of the shape shown by Fig. 

225, A, for the sleeves. 

Sleeve j Let them be of such length 

that when the top edge is 
folded back the distance of 
the vertical cuts shown on 
the diagram, and the sleeve 
wrapped around the fore- 

B 1 finger, the end of the finger 

^^^ 1 will protrude Ihe length of 

' f n<a noil Q<=»ixr r\f i-vocf/^k fn^ 



the nail. Sew or paste the 

Fig. 225. — Pattern of Sleeve and Cuff. 1 r 1 1 1 

edges of the sleeves togeth- 
er and put the slit ends (A, Fig. 225) through the arm-holes cut 
in the card-board ; bend back the slits and paste them upon the 
back of the card-board. Make the cuffs of white paper (Fig. 225, 
B), and fasten them inside the sleeves by a few stitches of thread. 
The orator is now finished and ready to deliver his oration. 
Hold the card up in front of you and thrust your first two fingers 
through the sleeves. The flesh-colored tips of your fingers peep- 
ing from beneath the white cuff look like little fists, and when 
the fingers are moved around in mimic gestures, the effect is comi- 
cal beyond measure and will create a laugh wherever exhibited. 
If the picture-head of some well-known public man can be pro- 
cured, it will add greatly to the effect produced upon the audi' 
ence. A comical speech should be prepared and recited with ac- 
companying movements of the arms (fingers). The little man can 
be made to scratch his nose, roll up his sleeves, and go through 
many other movements in a most, natural and life-like manner 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 



HOW TO MAKE VARIOUS AND DIVERS 
WHIRLIGIGS. 

Who can watch machinery of any kind in motion, without 
experiencing an indefinable sort of pleasure ? No matter how 
simple the contrivance may be, if it move it immediately in- 
terests us. This instinct, if I may so call it, that prompts us 
to watch and play with machinery is im- 
planted in the brain of the lower animals as 
well as of man. I think no one can doubt 
that a kitten or a dog enjoys chasing a ball, 
and enters into the sport with as much zest 
as a college-boy does his game of football. 
It is this same indefinable desire for obj^erv- 
ing and experimenting with moving objects 
that prompts us to throw stones for the pur- 
pose of seeing them skip over the surface of 
the water, and to this instinct must be at- 
tributed the pleasure experienced by the 
school-boy with his 

Potato Mill, The Potato Mill. 

which consists of simply a stick, a potato, a buckeye, or a horse- 
chestnut, and a string. The stick is whittled into the form 
shown in the illustration ; a string is fastened to the stick about 
one-half inch below the knob on the top. The buckeye has a 




360 IVinfeK 



large hole bored through the middle, and a small hole bored 
through one side, to the middle hole ; the string from the stick 
passes through the hole in the side of the buckeye ; the end 
of the stick is sharpened and thrust into a potato. 

If the string be wound around the stick, and the buckeye 
held between the thumb and forefinger, the stick and potato 
may be made to spin rapidly by alternately pulling the string 
and allowing it to slacken ; the motion imparted by the first 
pull continues long enough to wind the string in the opposite 
direction, and thus, for an indefinite time, or until the string 
wears out by friction, the potato mill may be kept buzzing at a 
great rate. 

Another machine the boys used to be very fond of was 
called 

A Saw-Mill ; 

it was generally made out of the top of a tin blacking-box, with 
the rim knocked off and the edge cut into notches like a saw. 
Two strings passing through two holes near the centre gave a 
revolving motion to the " buzzer" (Fig. 226 shows a saw-mill). 
^^__^^ ^^^^ By holding the strings 

"jT'^ ^^ /^"/V— --::^^^^"^S- ^° ^^^^ ^^^ wheel hangs 

43''^~^=Ji^^^=:=4 '^^^f^^^^'^r^^L loosely in the middle, 

v--/^ ^ and swinging the wheel 

Fig. 226.— A Saw-Mill. ,, , ,, , 

or ''buzzer around 
and around until the string becomes tightly twisted, the ma- 
chine is wound up. As with the potato mill, the revolving mo- 
tion is imparted by alternately pulling and allowing the string to 
slacken, only in this case you must hold one end of the string 
in each hand (Fig. 226). When the boys can make a buzzer 
actually saw into a piece of board or shingle by allowing the 
^A^^ of the wheel to strike the wood, the saw-mill is pronounced 
a success, and its value increased.; 



How to Make Variotcs Whirligigs, 361 



Very pretty and amusing toys may be made on the same 
principle as the saw or potato mills described. One of these 
little machines, a very fascinating one, is sold upon the streets 
of New York by the novelty peddlers. As the writer was pass- 
ing along Broadway the other day, he saw an old acquaintance, 
known to almost all New Yorkers by the name of "■ Little 
Charlie." Little Charlie is not a small man, as his name might 
imply, but a large, good-natured, red-faced peddler, who stands 
all day long at the street corners. During the winter he sells 
small india-rubber dolls, crying out to the passers-by : ** Well ! 
well ! well ! Little Charlie ! double him up ! double him up ! " 
He doubles the little india-rubber dolls up in a comical manner 
to attract customers. The torrid summer heat is too much 
for the india-rubber dolls, and makes them sticky, so that they 
are laid aside during the hot weather, and Little Charlie, with 
the perspiration streaming from his face, no longer calls out in 
his accustomed manner, but stands silently twirling his summer 
novelty, trusting to the ever- 
changing colors of the toy to 
attract purchasers. One was 
bought that it might be intro- 
duced among the other whirli- 
gigs in this chapter. 




The Rainbow Whirligig. 
If you have a pair of divid- 
ers, make a circle upon a piece 
of card-board about two inches 
in diameter ; inside this circle 
make six other circles (Fig. 227). 
A pair of scissors can be made to do the duty of a pair of divid- 
ers by spreading them apart the required distance and thrust- 
ing the points through a card to hold them in position (Fig. 



Fig. 227. — A disk of the Rainbow 
Whirligig. 



362 



Winter. 




Fig. 228. — A Pair of Dividers. 



228). Make a duplicate figure or disk and paint the parts of 

the inside circles, shaded in the diagram, different colors ; for 
instance, A and D may be made blue, 
B and E green, C and F red. The points 
of the star in the centre made by the in- 
tersection of the circumference of the 
circles should be painted the same color 
as the parts of the circle adjoining. 
Upon the second disk paint A and D 
blue, B and E yellow, C and F red. 

Cut a piece of one-quarter inch pine 
into a square, with sides of about two 
?ind one-quarter inches in length; cut off 

the corners as shown by I, Fig. 229. In a hole in the centre of 

I fasten tightly the round stick J. Whittle out another piece 

for a handle K, and bore a hole through the top for the stick J 

to fit in loosely ; bore another hole 2 

through one side for the string to 

pass through. In the illustration, 

as in the original from which the 

drawing was made, there is a large 

hole bored through two sides ; but 

this is unnecessary, and only put in 

the diagram to better show the po- 
sition of the string inside. Upon 

the wooden plate I, describe a circle 

about one and three-quarter inches 

in diameter. In the centre of the 

two paper disks make holes large 

enough to fit with shoe-eyelets ; 

then with tacks (L, Fig. 229) fasten 

the two paper disks on to the wooden plate at the points G and 

H, in such a manner that the tack passing through the eyelets 




Fig. 229. — Parts of Rainbow 
Whirligig. 



How to Make Various Whirligigs. 363 



will allow the disks to revolve freely. Attach a string to the 
stick J at a point that will come opposite the string-hole in the 
side of the handle, when the stick J is slid into the hole at the 
top of the handle K. The wooden disk is made to spin exactly 
in the same manner that motion is imparted to the potato mill 
already described. When in motion the colors on the paper 
disks will blend and produce, with 
each change of position, a number 
of beautiful variations. The two 
paper disks blend together, making 
a large circle three and one-half 
inches in diameter, composed of 
concentric rings of the most lovely 
hues — red, pink, purple, green, and 
all the different shades and combi- 
nations imaginable are portrayed 
with ever-changing variety by the 
spinning rainbow whirligig. 

A Paradoxical Whirligig 

is a very ingenious toy, consisting 
of a circle of white card-board, up- 
on the surface of which any num- 
ber of black rings are painted, one ^^^- ^So-Paradoxicai whirligig. 

within the other, until it resembles an archery butt or target. 
The disk is tacked or glued securely to a stick or handle 
(Fig. 230) so that it is impossible for it to really revolve, yet if 
you grasp the toy by the handle and give your arm a motion 
similar to that of the shaft of an engine, the disk upon the stick 
will appear to revolve like a wheel, and so closely does the opti- 
cal delusion resemble actual motion that it will deceive almost 
any one who is not familiar with the experiment^ ' ' '- ' 




364 Winter, 



A picture of a wagon, with wheels made like the disks of tho 
paradoxical whirligig, may be made, and the wheels will have all 
the appearance of revolving when a wabbling motion is imparted 
to the picture. There are many curious experiments that can 
be tried in this line — spirals may be made to twist around ; pic- 
tured machinery may be given the appearance of actual moving 
wheels, etc. The philosophy of all this is best explained in the 
description of the next whirligig. 

The Phantasmoscope, or Magic Wheel. 

The phantasmoscope, or magic wheel, is comparatively sim- 
ple, consisting, as may be seen by the accompanying illustra- 
tion, of a disk of any diameter revolving upon a pin in the cen- 
tre. Figures in different poses of arrested action are painted 
or pasted upon the one side ; under each figure is an oblong 
opening or slot. Much amusement can be derived from this 
old and simple toy. We herewith give one with the correct 
positions of a horse trotting a 2:40 gait, drawn in silhouette 
upon the outer margin of the wheel. 

Make a careful tracing of the illustration (Fig. 231) with a 
lead-pencil upon tracing-paper ; reverse the tracing-paper upon 
a piece of card-board so that the side with the pencil-markings 
on it will be next to the card-board ; after which fasten both 
card-board and paper to a drawing-board or table-top with tacks, 
so that neither tracing nor card-board can slip. With the point 
of a hard pencil, a slate-pencil or any similar instrument, go 
carefully over each line of the tracing as seen through the tra- 
cing-paper ; be careful not to omit a single mark ; it is very pro- 
voking to discover, after removing the tracing-paper, that part 
of the drawing is wanting ; but if you have been careful, when 
the tacks are removed you will find the picture neatly trans- 
ferred on the card-board. Go carefully over each line on the 



How to Make Various Whirligigs. 365 

card-board with a pen and black ink, and fill in the outlines of 
^ach picture with ink, making a silhouette of the figures. 

Cut the phantasmoscope, or magic disk, out, following the 




Fig. 231 — The Magic Wheel. 

outer circle with the scissors, and under each figure, where tho 
oblong places are drawn, cut a corresponding opening through 
the pasteboard. Fasten the wheel to a stick or handle by 
means of a pin at its centre, on which it can freely turn. 



366 



Winter, 



If a larger machine be wanted, the illustration here given* 
may be enlarged by the process described on page 250. To- 
use the magic wheel, stand in front of a mirror, as shown in 
the small illustration ; hold the disk before the eyes ; look 
through the slots under the figures, and turn the wheel rapidly. 
The horses' legs will commence to move as in life, and as each 
successive position drawn upon the phantasmoscope is the exact 

one taken by a trotting horse, 
the horses in the mirror will 
all appear to be in actual mo- 
tion, on a fast trot. If the 
eye is directed over the mar- 
gin of the paste-board disk, 
an indistinct blur is all that is 
seen. The principle is gener- 
ally well known and easily ex- 
plained. It pertains to the 
phenomenon known as the 
persistence of vision. When 
the eye is directed through the 




Making the Horses Trot. 



slot, the figure of a horse is seen for an instant as the open- 
ing passes the eye, and the impression is retained after the 
object is shut off by the intervening portion of the board be- 
tween the slots until another horse appears through the succeed- 
ing opening, when an additional impression is made, the same 
as the preceding impression, except a slight change in the posi- 
tion of the legs. These impressions follow each other so rapidly 
that they produce upon the retina of the eye the effect of a con- 
tinuous image of the horses, in which the limbs, replaced by a 
succession of positions, present the appearance of a file of 
horses in actual motion. 

The instantaneous photographs taken nowadays of people, 
horses, and other animals in motion, opens a new field for inves* 



How to Make Various Whirligigs, 367 

tigation, and one which, with the aid of the simple toy described, 
will be found very entertaining as well as instructive. 

Mr. Muybridge's celebrated photographs of animals in mo- 
tion can all be adapted by smart boys to home-made phan- 
tasmoscopes, and it will probably not be long before the won- 
derful photographs of birds and bats on the wing, taken by E. 
J. Marcy with his revolving photographic gun, will be within 
reach of the public. Then with the magic disk the reader can 
make birds fly, horses trot, men ride bicycles, and reproduce 
every movement as correct as in nature. 

For young scientists these beautiful experiments will bc 
found very entertaining. 



CHAPTER XL. 
THE UNIVERSE IN A CARD-BOX. 




Smoke-Rings. 



A JOVIAL-LOOKING Com- 
mercial traveller once won a 
wager from the landlord of a 
certain Detroit hotel by mak- 
ing over a hundred rings with 
one mouthful of smoke. The 
writer was sitting in the hotel 
office at the time, and becom- 
ing interested in the conver- 
sation, watched to see how 
the trick was done. Taking 
some cards from his card-case, 
the young man proceeded to 
bend up the edges in such a 
manner that the centre part 
of each formed a perfect 
square. Six cards he folded 



in this manner ; then, after fishing in his pockets for some time, 
he produced a dime and a lead-pencil. Placing the ten-cent 
piece upon the centre of one card, he made a ring with the lead- 
pencil by following the edges of the coin. Opening a pocket- 
knife at the file blade, with the point he cut a round hole in the 
card, following the circle made by the pencil. He then put the 
cards together, in the form of a light but strong box (Figs. 232, 
233, 234, and 235), and taking a long pull at a cigar which was 



The Universe tn a Lara-B^ox. 



30g 



between his lips, he filled his cheeks, and blew the smoke into 
the paper box. By this time all the idlers in the office had 
collected around the smoker, who, with a 
triumphant smile upon his face, com- 
menced to tap the sides of the box with 
his lead-pencil. At each tap a tiny but 
perfect and beautiful ring of smoke shot 
into the air — one hundred and ten were 
counted before the smoke was exhausted. 
Fig, 236 shows how similar rings can be 
made with a lamp-chimney in which a 
card disk with a hole in it has been placed ; 
a piece of paper or membrane fastened 
over the other end serves for a vibrating 
surface, which, when struck with the 
thumb, forces out the little rings of smoke. 

The reader must not for a moment 
suppose that it is necessary to use tobacco 
smoke to perform this beautiful experi- 
ment ; any other smoke will answer just 
as well to make the " vortex rings," as 
they are scientifically called. If after dip- 
ping a paint-brush into india ink, or any 
water-color paint, you gently insert the 
tip of the brush into a glass of clear 
water, you will see the pigment fall from 
the end of the brush, and, gradually 
sinking to the bottom, form rings exactly 
similar to the circles of smoke described. 

The rings made by skipping a flat 
stone over the water are but another ex- 
ample of the vortex, and the jolly com- 
mercial traveller, when he was exhibiting the little paper box and 
24 




Fig. 235. 
How to make a Card-box. 



310 



Winter, 



smoke-rings to t'he laughing crowd of fellow-travellers in the 
hotel office, was standing upon the threshold of a mighty mys- 
tery, experimenting with laws, and showing the action of the 

same forces that are supposed to have 
produced the wonderful rings around 
Saturn ! Indeed, it is asserted that 
the broad, misty band of light which 
we see at night stretched across the 
heavens, and known to every boy as 
the milky-way, is nothing more nor 
less than a gigantic vortex ring, com- 
posed of millions of heavenly atoms. 
Some very learned men think that the 
secret of the whole universe, the origin 
of gravitation and electricity, are all 
locked up in the mystery which con- 
trols the formation and motion of a 
simple smoke-ring. 

As Adrien Guebhard wisely re. 
marks, in an interesting article upon this same subject, " Noth- 
ing is vulgar to one who knows how to see, and nothing iiH' 
different to one who knows how to observe.'* 




Fig. 236. — Lamp- Chimney 
Smoke-Box. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

LIFE INSTILLED INTO PAPER PUPPETS, AND 
MATCHES MADE OF HUMAN FINGERS. 

Many strange and unaccountable occurrences are attributed 
by ignorant people to '' animal magnetism," some even going 
to such an extreme as to refuse to shake hands with other per- 
sons for fear of parting with some of their precious magnetic 
properties. Where there is much smoke there must be some 
fire, as the old adage goes, and although the marvellous stories 
current in a certain class of literature are wholly untrue, ani- 
mal electricity undoubtedly exists. All boys who use a comb 
to smooth out their tangled locks upon a cold winter morning, 
no doubt hear and wonder at the crackling of the electricity as 
the comb passes through their hair. Many of my readers have 
probably tormented poor puss by holding her in a dark closet, 
and watching the sparks fly from her fur as, with a pitiless hand, 
it was briskly rubbed the wrong way until a severe scratch or bite 
from the cat warned them that she took no interest in such 
scientific experiments. A less cruel and more entertaining ex- 
periment is to cut out a lot of little paper figures, and the next 
cold day, when your hair begins to snap and stand on end in 
its effort to follow the electrified comb, hold the comb over the 
figures; the little puppets will immediately appear to be en- 
dowed with life and commence to jump and dance, or stick to 
each other and to the comb (Fig. 237), as if fastened by glue. 



372 



IVinter, 



Often one little figure will stand on his head, and another, fix- 
ing himself by one hand, hold his tiny form upright in a most 
comical manner ; sometimes they will form themselves into long 
strings and go through all manner of queer and seemingly in- 

teUigent move- 
ments. The same 
result can be pro- 
duced by rub 
bing a piece of 
gutta-percha 
smartly upon a 
piece of woollen 
cloth, and then 
holding it ovei 
the paper pup- 
one of those in- 
waves from the 
North strikes the country and 
frightens the mercury in the 
thermometers, until it retreats 
down to the very bottom of its 
glass tube, electricity is often 
so easily generated that I have 
known persons to light a gas- 
jet by simply applying the ends 
Fig. 237. of their fingers to the burners 

A certain professor, well known to the public, was so startled 
at seeing the gas blaze up upon touching the burner with his 
finger, that he dropped into a sitting posture upon the floor, 
and there, with his feet spread apart, and his eyes and mouth 
open, he presented a perfect picture of astonishment and 
wonden 




pets. When 
tensely cold 



Paper Puppets and Matches. 373 

To Light the Gas with your Finger, 

turn it on without applying a light, walk around the room, slid 
ing your feet over the carpet, until you again reach the burner, 
touch the tip of the burner and instantly the lipht will blaze 
up as if by magic. 

From what has been already said, the reader will under- 
stand that the gas-jet experiment is only successful under pecu- 
Har conditions of the atmosphere. Do not try to turn on the 
gas with one hand and light it with the other, for as soon as 
the first hand touches the metal key the electricity is expended, 
and there is none left in the other hand to ignite the gas. Turn 
the gas on first, walk around the room in the manner described, 
and touch nothing with your hand before it is applied to the 
burner. 

There are many other experiments that may be tried by 
boys interested in this subject, but as they necessitate more or 
less complicated and expensive instruments they are omitted 
it being the object of this book to describe only such things as 
can be manufactured by the boys themselves. 



CHAPTER XLIL 

HOME-MADE MASQUERADE AND THEATRICAL 

COSTUMES. 



The White Man of the Desert. 

In 1876 quite a large 
party were returning fron? 
New Orleans to St. Louis 
on board the largest of Mis- 
sissippi steamers. Every 
night was devoted to merri- 
ment, in which all joined, 
passengers and officers. 
One morning, large posters, 
made with colored chalk on 
brown paper, and hung at 
both ends of the cabin, 
announced a grand masque- 
rade as the programme for 
the evening. 

As a rule, masquerade 
costumes are not to be found 
aboard Mississippi River 
steamers, yet, that evening, 
when the band struck up a march, every stateroom door opened, 
and from each doorway issued some queer or fantastic figure. 
One costume in particular was so simple, and yet so complete, 
as to be noteworthy. A boy had taken two sheets from his 




Home-made Masquerade Costumes, 375 

berth, and, by wrapping one around each leg, fastening them at 
the ankles with strings and at the. waist with a shawl-strap, 
made quite a presentable pair of Turkish pants. The shawl- 
strap, worn with the handle in front, had the appearance of an 
odd-looking double belt ; a pair of white stockings, drawn over 
a pair of slippers and the bottom of the pants, answered for 
white boots ; his shirt served as a white waist. A sheet hang- 
ing from his shoulders, after the manner of a cape or shawl, 
combined, with a turban made of a towel, to give a decided 
Arab look. The boy's face and hair had been made snowy 
white by an application of flour. 

The disguise was complete, and the costume pronounced 
by all to be the very best in the cabin. In a similar manner 
many characters may be personated, and the costume made up 
of such material as can be found about home. 

Many proposed tableaux, masquerade, or parlor play is 
abandoned because the costumes necessary are either unattain- 
able or altogether too expensive. 

There is "lots of fun" to be had at entertainments of this 
kind and for fear that my reader might miss some such oppor- 
tunity to have a " good time," this chapter is devoted to de- 
scribing two or three costumes, and showing how first-class 
character dresses can be made without an expenditure of 
money. 

" The Fourteenth Century Young Man " 
can be clothed with modern garments altered to suit the occa- 
sion. Tights are necessary, and may be made of an ordinary 
suit of knit underclothes (Fig. 238) by the addition of a little 
trimming and a pair of trunks to cover the top part of the 
drawers. But let us commence at the top of the man and work 
down, describing each article of dress in the order in which it 
comes. 



376 



IVinter, 




The Mediaeval Hat. 

Soak an old felt hat thorough 
ly in hot water ; put it over th« 
top of some blunt-ended object, 
a bed-post, for instance, and. 




FiO. 238.— Fourteenth Century 
Costume, Untrimmed 




Fig. 239.— Stretching the Hat FiG. 240.— The Mediaeval Hat 

grasping the brim with both hands, pull down steadily and firm* 
ly until the crown becomes elongated to the proportions of the 



Home-made Masquerade Costumes. 377 



ones belonging to the hats worn by the clowns in the circuses 
(Fig. 239). In stretching the hat be very careful not to tear 
the felt. Turn the brim up in the back and pull it down in 
front. 

Fasten a long feather of any kind, a chicken or turkey 
feather will answer, to the back of th.e hat, and let the plume 
droop over the front, as shown by Fig. 240. 

The Wig. 
To make this you will probably have to ask your mother's 
or sister's assistance. Induce one of them to make a cloth 
skull-cap of the shape shown by Fig. 241. Cover, and sew to 




Fig. 241.— Skull; 
Cap. 



Fig. 242. — Spanish 
Moss Wig. 



Fig. 243.— Excelsior 
Wig. 



Fig. 244.— White 
Cotton Wig. 



this cap Spanish moss or ** curled horse-hair,*' such as is used 
by upholsterers (Fig. 242). Cotton or excelsior will make very 
respectable wigs when nicely arranged and sewed on to neatly 
fitting skull-caps (Figs. 243 and 244). 

Eyebrows, Moustache, and Beard 
can be made of white or black cotton, fastened to the face with 
a little mucilage. 

The Doublet, 

to be in keeping with the mediaeval hat, must fit quite closely, 
and an ordinary knit undershirt is just the thing, especially if 



378 



Winter. 



it be a bright- colored garment. At the neck fasten a broad 
white collar, a piece of lace or a ruff, borrowed for the occa-« 

sion from some lady friend. From 
the same source procure a /arge bow 
/'^'^^J^^^t^^^^-'\ ^^ ribbons to fasten at the throat and 
conceal the band and button on the 
front of the shirt. If ruffs or lace 
cuffs be added to the sleeves, the 
doublet will be complete, and the 
shirt so disguised that no one will sus- 
pect its true character (see Fig. 245). 

Trunks. 

FIG. 245.-The Doublet. ^^^^ ^^^ p^j^ ^^ ^j^ ^^^^^ ^^^ 

cut them off at the knees ; if they are a trifle too large for you, 
they will make all the better trunks. 

Let the same lady friend that made the skull-cap, hem the 
bottom of the pants. The hem should be strong enough to 
hold strings within for drawing the bottoms tightly around the 
limbs (Fig. 246). 

If you do not wish to impose too much upon the good na* 






Fig. 246.— Trunks. Fig. 247.— Slashed Trunks. 

ture of your lady friends, you may put the strings in the pants 
yourself after the manner shown by Fig. 247. 



(^> 




Home-made Masquerade Costumes, 379 

Half a dozen slashes cut in the trunks through which some 
bright-colored cloth is allowed to show, adds greatly to the 
general appearance. 

Tights. 
A pair of knit drawers arranged with straps that pull the 
bottoms of the drawers over the insteps and heels of the feet, 
make as good a pair of tights when worn with trunks 
as any that can be rented from the costumer, and they 
are much more pleasant to wear than the often un- 
cleanly hired garments (Fig. 248). 

To Dress. 

First put on your stockings ; then pull on the tights, 
allowing the straps to fit under the foot. Next put 
on the trunks, and pull the bottom of the legs of the ^ 

* ^ , ° Fig. 248.— 

latter garment up as high as possible, draw the strings Leg with 

and tie them tightly, this will make the trunks puff ^^ 

out and spread open the slashes. Next put on the doublet, 

and allow it to fall outside the trunks. Slippers or low shoes 

should be worn. 

A friend and myself once made a couple of suits like the 

one just described, using red knit underclothes for tights and 

white flannel pants slashed with red for trunks. Red-covered 

shoes and red feathers in our hats completed the costumes, 

which were exactly alike in every particular. So closely did 

we resemble each other when masked and dressed in these 

home-made garments, that our most intimate friends were una» 

ble to distinguish one from the other. 

The Baby 
is a mirth-provoking <3isguise when well personated. T^ 
transform yourself into a baby, remove your coat aad vest, 



38o 



IVinter. 




and, after procurmg two long white skirts, fasten one at youi 
waist, and let the waist-band of the other come just under your 

arms, so that this skirt will fall 
over the first one adjusted. Let 
some one tuck up your shirt- 
sleeves to the shoulder, and run 
ribbons through them and out at 
the neck, tying the ends in bows 
at the shoulders. To do this, the 
shirt must be opened at the throat 
and the collar-band tucked under; 
this makes a low neck and short 
sleeves. A broad sash passed 

^^^"^^""^^ — A^^^^^^L ^rc>und under the arms and tied 
— -^^5c^\ . \ ^$$^^$$i>-^ jj^ 2i large bow-knot looks very 

baby-like (Fig. 249). The head 
should be covered with a hood. 
The latter can be made of a piece of white cloth, or a large 
handkerchief folded in the following manner : 



Fig. 249.— The Baby. 



How to Make a Handkerchief Hood, 
Fig. 250 represents the handkerchief. Take the corners A 
and B and fold them under, as shown by Fig. 251. Allowing 
the handkerchief to rest flat upon a table, turn the corners made 
by the fold over as you would in making a paper hat ; this will 
give you Fig. 252. Again proceed as you would in manufac- 
turing a paper hat, and turn the bottom C D up over A B ; 
roll this bottom piece up and over about three times (Fig. 253). 
Pick up the handkerchief by the ends C and D, and you will 
have Fig. 254, a pretty and complete baby-hood, which, when 
it is put on the head, and the ends C and D tied under the chin, 
will conceal the hair, and besides adding to the baby look, if 
will help to disguise the person wearing it 



Home-made Masquerade Costumes. 381 

Thus, I might go on until next year, teUing how to make 
all manner of costumes ; but I have sufficient confidence in boys 
to believe that, as a rule, they only need a hint or two to start 
them in any project, and that their own ingenuity will carry 
them through. So far I have carried my descriptions of boy- 



i\|...a«<it.t<.«.t 'S-t^f 



I 



cv- 



I* 
I 



Fig. 250. 



J 



1 



Fig. 2SL 




FjG. 252. 



^ 



ZK 



^ 



Fig. 253. 




F«G. 254. 



ish pastimes through the seasons, and I now halt at the recur- 
rence of spring ; not, believe me, for lack of matter, for sug- 
gestion breeds suggestion, until there seems to be no end, and 
my greatest difficulty has been to avoid devoting too great a 
space to any one topic. 

No boy need hope to achieve success as a manufacturer of 
any of the objects described in this book unless he carefully 
reads the description and masters the details. Remember that 
even in sports and plays no slipshod, careless, and partial effort 
can avoid failure. As a rule, the best and most earnest worker 
is the liveliest and heartiest companion. 

It is not without regret that the author bids farewell ; and 



382 Winter. 



if the reader of this book derive half the enjoyment from the 
perusal that the author has from the writing, then the book is 
not a failure ; and if what Httle that has been said encourage 
and help any boys — be they few or many — to appreciate, 
love, and enter into all sensible sports, as every true Americov 
boy should, then has this book fulfilled its mission. 



Additional Suggestions for the 
Four Seasons. 



SPRING. 

KITES. 



On September 27, 1885, The United Kite-Raising Associa- 
tion, of Yorkville, attempted to send up the biggest kite on rec- 
ord. The cloth that covered it weighed fourteen pounds, and, 
the kite was sixteen feet high and fourteen feet wide, with a 
tail four hundred feet long. 

The wind was too light to keep the monster up, but the 
crowd had "lots of fun " in the attempt. 

In New York City there is a law, passed in the interest 
of the telegraph companies, which imposes a fine of five dollars 
on any one raising a kite south of Fourteenth Street ; but since 
the law was passed, the boys have had ample revenge in seeing 
the telegraph poles condemned as a public nuisance, and cut down. 

It does not appear that " Section 240 of the Corporation 
Ordinance," as the kite law is termed, is known to the boys, or 
enforced by the police, as the following item, clipped from one 
of the New York newspapers, will plainly demonstrate: 

THOUSANDS OF KITES. 

THE CURIOUS FLEET OF AIR CRAFT WHICH HOVERS OVER THE EAST SIDE. 

, Anybody riding up the Second Avenue railway on a fine breezy after- 
aoon will become impressed with the belief that kite-flying must be one of 



384 spring. 



the leading East Side industries. The air fairly swarms with kites. They 
hover like a great flock of birds over all that section of the city east of the 
Bowery between Chatham Square and the Cooper Institute. There are 
kites of all descriptions, from the big, majestic, '' six-cornered " kind that 
hang motionless save now and then a grave nod and a languid swing of the 
long tail to the fierce little rattle-headed Chinese variety that take the form 
of great butterflies and beetles, and dart hither and thither without a mo- 
ment's rest. When the sunlight falls right, a faint, shadowy maze of strings 
can be seen running from the kites to countless house roofs. It is not al- 
ways small boys who are attached to the kites by these strings. Idle, 
hulking fellows, old enough to be at something better, loll away afternoons 
lazily watching their kites drift away as they feed them out string. As for 
the telegraph, telephone, and electric light wires along these streets, they 
are so hung with kite wrecks and festooned with bedraggled kite tails that 
they look like lines hung with the washing of a rag fair. 

Last Saturday was a great day for kites. Thousands of them flecked 
the sky over the East Side, and only one was above Fourteenth Street. 
But that was purely accidental. It was flown from a roof within the for- 
bidden territory. 

New York City boys, as a rule, have very little practical 
knowledge of the manner of making kites, but depend upon the 
shops for their supply. There is a portly German on Prince 
Street who for twenty years has supplied the small boys of 
New York City with their kites, and he says that kite time does 
not begin here before the Fourth of July. 

Since the first edition of the " American Boy's Handy- 
Book" appeared, but one suggestion on a new form of kite has 
been received ; and, as the author subsequently saw one of the 
kites fly successfully, he takes pleasure in quoting the letter, 
and in adding to the list in the book : 

The Tailless Kite— Holland Kite. 

Rochester, New York, January 6, 1882. 
Friend Elwood : In " The American Boy's Handy-Book," a copy of 
which you presented my son Christmas last, I do not see that easily-made 



Kites, 



385 



and always-successful, tailless Holland kite, a great number of which I 
have made for my own and other boys. 

The draft represents a kite four feet long. The proportions must be 
mathematically correct. Stick (B, F, Fig. 255) four feet long; the cross- 
stick (C, D, Fig. 255) is a bow, made of ash, hickory, oak, or split reed,, 
just three feet long, with strings attached to each end and tied at the back, 
to give it the proper curve. This curve must be varied with the strength 
of the wind. If the wind is strong, tighten the bow-cord, and give it more 





curve. The bow and stick are fastened to each other one foot from upper 
end of stick and at A, Fig. 256, the centre of the bow. 

Attach belly band at contact of stick and bow (A), and at lower end of 
stick (B) ; and to determine length of belly-band, let its angle just reach 
end of bow, C or D, at which angle the kite-string is to be attached. 

These kites may be made of any size, but these proportions must be 
strictly observed. Each side must be equal in weight. Lift the kite by 
belly-string, balancing lower end on a finger pivot, and if it tips to one 
side, paste pieces of paper to the light side, till they are equal. The stick 
and bow must be as light as their duties will warrant. 



386 



Spring, 



These kites require no tails. Just the right weight and length for an 
old style kite tail has never been determined, and this uncertainty caused 
much unhappiness with the boys of my time. 

The first of these tailless kites that I made for my boy at its first ascen- 
sion remained up all day. 

FISHING. 

The author, when a lad, was unable to learn to swim by 
following the directions in the books he had ; nor did the arti- 
cles on skating assist him in the least in learning to skate ; but 
where a new game was described, or diagrams given for some 
boyish contrivance, such notes were of great assistance. 

Now, I do not wish my 
readers to suppose that, either 
in the main part of the 
book or the appendix, he will 
find an exhaustive discourse 
on fishing ; what he will find 
is all the novelties in that line, 
with diagrams and explana- 
tions, that have come within 
the experience of the writer. 
Mr. Fred Holder, the celebrated naturalist and writer of 
boys' books on natural history, is responsible for 

The Goose Fisherman, 

which is nothing more nor less than alive goose (Fig. 257), with 
a line and spoon-hook attached to one leg. Mr. or Mrs. Goose 

is driven into the water and forced to ' 

swim, which, owing to the nature of 
the bird, is not a difficult or disagree- 
able task. 

As the bird swims, using its feet as paddles to propel itself, 
the spoon at the end of the line is jerked along in a most interest- 





Fishing, 



387 



ing manner to the fish, and if there are any pickerel, with their 

voracious appetites to spur them on, they cannot often restrain 

themselves, but needs 

must seize what, to 

them, appears to be a 

fat, shiny, young fish, 

but which they learn 

to their sorrow to be 

a hard metal snare 

(Fig. 258). 

Then the fun be- 
gins. The goose feels 
something tugging at 
its leg, and becomes 
excited. The unfor- 
tunate fish plunges 
about, only to drive 




the cruel barbs 
deeper into its cartilaginous mouth, 
and make escape impossible. 

Finding, as it supposes, a hidden 
enemy in the water, the bird seeks 
refuge on shore, where its master gleefully 
unhooks the fish, and starts the bird on an- 
other trip. 

The Pistol Reporter 
is a contrivance invented by a friend of the 
author, after he had experimented with the 
"Dancing Fisherman" described on page 31. 

The " Reporter's " float is made exactly in the same manner 
as the Dancing Fisherman's, but in the place of the jumping toy, 
an old-fashioned, single-barrelled pistol is securely lashed to the 
upright stick, and the fish-line tightly fastened to the trigger. 

To prevent accidents my friend never loaded the pistol, but 



388 



Spring. 




-4-^ 



^•gae.Q, 



relied upon the' noise of the exploding cap to notify him that 
there was something on the line. Fig. 259 shows the Pistol 
Reporter. The 
common toy- 
pistol makes 
the best " Re- 
porter," being 
smaller and 
more easily 
procured. 

One more 
invention, and 
the reader will 
have more 
than enough — 
to occupy his 
time after the 

ordinary pole and line-fishing has grown 
tiresome. 

The Floating Tip-up 

consists simply of a float, with a tip-up 

fastened at one end, as shown in Fig. 260. 

The flag-rod, being unevenly balanced, will 

fail upon the block, as is shown by one in 

the distance in the accompanying cut ; but 

the slightest pull on the line will raise the 

flag, and warn the fisherman that there is 

something at the bait. Fig. 260, A, shows the simple manner in 

which the joint or hinge is made, by driving a long pin through 

the jaws of the upright and through the flag-pole, allowing 

about one-third of the pole to extend over the water for the 

attachment of the fish-line. 




SUMMER. 
HOME-MADE BOATS. 

The "Crusoe-raft" is an immense success, and the "Man 
Friday" has been used, not only by the boy readers of this 
book, but by the parents and big brothers of the boys in their 
hunting trips, and these rustic crafts may now be seen on many 
of the unfrequented lakes deep in the North Woods ; in fact, 
these two simple and primitive boats have become so popular 
that the writer will add another to the list, if anything, still 
more primitive in design. 

The advance-guard of modern civilization is the lumber- 
man, and following close on his heels comes the all-devouring 
saw-mill. This fierce creature has an abnormal appetite for 
logs, and it keeps an army of men, boys, and horses busy in 
supplying it with food. And, while it supplies us with lumber 
for the carpenter, builder, and cabinet-maker, it at the same 
time, in the most shameful way, fills the trout-streams and 
rivers with great masses of sawdust, which kills and drives away 
the fish. But near the saw-mill there is always to be found 
material for a 

Slab Canoe, 

which consists simply of one of those long slabs, the first cut 
from some giant log. (Fig. 261.) 

These slabs are burned or thrown away by the mill-owners, 
and hence cost nothing ; and as the saw-mill is in advance of 



390 Summer, 



population, you are most likely to run across one on a hunting 
or fishing trip. 

Near one end, and on the flat side of the slab (Fig. 261), 




TMB. au^B 










bore four holes, into which drive the four legs of a stool made 
of a section of a smaller slab (Fig. 262), and your boat is ready 
to launch. From a piece of board, make a double or single 
paddle (Fig. 263), and you are equipped for a voyage. An old 
gentleman, who in his boyhood days on the frontier frequently 
used this simple style of canoe, says that the speed it makes 
will compare favorably with that of many a more pretentious 
vessel. See Fig. 264 for furnished boat. 

How to Build a Birch Bark Canoe. 

According to the Baltimore Sun, birch canoes are greatly 
increasing in popularity. At most of the summer resorts they 
will soon supersede all other craft that have to be propelled by 



Home-Made Boats. 



391 



hand. There are several reasons for this renewal of favor. 
They are not hard to propel, they are pretty, and in experi- 
enced hands perfectly safe. They are also indispensable to 
sportsmen. So general is the favor in which these light and 
graceful boats are held that the building of them hasl^ecome 
quite an industry in Maine, especially along the Penobscot 
River. 




Although the Indian was the first to build these simple 
little boats, some of his white brothers are quite as expert 
in the work. But the red man can outdo his white brother in 
navigating the craft. The only tools required in building a 
canoe are a knife and awl, a draw-shave and a hammer. An 
Indian can do all of his work with a knife. 

Several years ago canvas began to be used extensively in 
canoe-building, instead of birch bark, but it will never entirely 



392 Summer, 



supersede birch, for nothing can be found that bends so grace- 
fully. There ar^ several canvas canoe factories in Maine, but 
the canoes made of canvas have neither the symmetry nor the 
durability of the birches. They are a trifle cheaper, however, 
but if pleasure and profit are wanted, one should never have 
anything but a bark craft. ^ 

If properly handled, a good canoe will safely hold four men. 
Canoes intended for deep water should have considerable depth. 
Those intended for shoal water, such as trout fishers use, are 
made as flat as possible. Up to the time when canoeing was 
introduced the materials for building craft of this kind could be 
found all along the rivers. Big birch-trees grew in countless 
numbers, and clear, straight cedar was quite as plentiful within 
a few feet of the water's edge. Now one must go miles back 
into the dense forests for such materials, and even then seldom 
does it happen that two suitable trees are found within sight 
one of the other. Cedar is the harder of the two to find. 

When the writer's young friend Mr. E. T. Adney, the artist, 
naturalist, and backwoodsman, returned from the North Woods, 
he told the author that among other accomplishments he had 
.learned how to build a real Indian birch bark canoe. His de- 
scription of the manner in which this graceful boat is made was 
so interesting that the main points are here inserted for the 
benefit of those who are ambitious of becoming skilled in wood 
craft. 

Indian Birch Bark Canoe. 

THE TREE. 

The tree is selected, first, for straightness, second, smooth- 
ness, third, freedom from knots or limbs, fourth, toughness of 
bark, fifth small size of eyes, sixth, length — which last is not so 
important, as two trees can be put together — and seventh, size, 
which is also not so important, as the sides can be pieced out. 



Home-Made Boats. 393 



DIMENSIONS. 

The average length of canoe is about 19 feet over all, run- 
ning, generally, from 18 to 22 feet for a boat to be used on inland 
waters, the sea-going canoes being larger, with relatively higher 
bows. The average width is about 30 inches inside, measured 
along the middle cross-bar ; the greatest width inside is several 
inches below the middle cross-bar, and is several inches greater 
than the width measured along said cross-bar. 

The measurements given below are those of a canoe 19 feet 
over all ; 16 feet long inside, measured along the curve of the 
gunwale ; 30 inches wide inside. The actual length inside is 
less than 16 feet, but the measurement along the gunwales is 
the most important. 

BARK. 

Bark can be peeled when the sap is flowing or when the tree 
is not frozen — at any time in late spring, summer, and early fall 
(called summer bark) ; in winter during a thaw, when the tree 
is not frozen, and when the sap may have begun to flow. 

DIFFERENCE IN THE BARK. 

Summer bark peels readily, is smooth inside, of a yellow 
color, which turns reddish upon exposure to the sun, and 
is chalky-gray in very old canoes. Winter bark adheres closely, 
and forcibly brings up part of the inner bark, which on exposure 
turns dark red. This rough surface may be moistened and 
scraped away. All winter-bark canoes must be thus scraped and 
made smooth. Sometimes the dark red is left in the form of a 
decorative pattern extending around the upper edge of the 
canoe, the rest of the surface being scraped smooth. 



394 



Summer. 




r ,c^2.65,S\^o^Mu^d V\»v« H\e \iu,ais UepfoW rt\e. 



O'l-CPU-Tvd^ 



PROCESS OF PEELING. 

The tree must be cut down so that the bark can be removed 
more easily. 

A log called a skid (Fig. 265) is laid on the ground, a few feet 
from the base of the tree, which will keep the butt of the tree 
off the ground when the tree is felled. The limbs at the top will 

keep the other end 
■ // . ofif the ground. A 

^\m--^-\^is^ n,y-M \ n, v » ' ,. "^"^ - ^ ^— space is cleared of 

bushes and ob- 
structions where 
the tree is to fall. 
After the tree has been cut down, a cut is made in a straight 
line (A, B, Fig. 265), splitting the bark from top to bottom, 
and a ring cut at A and B (Fig. 265). When sap is flowing, the 
bark is readily removed ; but in winter, the edges of the cut are 
raised with a knife, and a thin, pliant hardwood 
knife or " spud " is pushed around under the bark. 

TOASTING. 

After the bark has dropped upon the ground, 
the inside surface is warmed with a torch, which 
softens and straightens it out flat. The torch is 
made of a bundle of birch 
bark held in a splitstick 
(Fig. 266). 

It is then rolled up like a carpet, 
with inside surface out, and tightly 
bound, generally with cedar bark when 
the latter can be procured (Fig. 267). 

If the tree is long enough, a piece is taken off at least nine- 
teen feet in length, so that the ends of the canoe may not be 








Home-Made Boats. 



395 



pieced out. A few shorter pieces are wrapped up with the 
bundle for piecing out the sides, 

THE ROLL 

is taken on the back in an up- 
right position, and is carried by 
a broad band of cedar bark, 
passing under the lower end of 
the roll and around in front of 
the breast and shoulders (Fig. 
268). 

EFFECTS OF HEAT. 

It is laid where the sun will 
not shine on it and harden it. 
The first effect of heat is to 
make it pliant. Long expos- 
ure to heat or to dry atmos- 
phere makes it hard and 
brittle. 




f/foole 0^ Ccc">-VK'\">'^<i^'^oU 



THE WOODWORK 
is as follows : 

Five cross-bars of rock-maple (Figs. 269, 271, and 277). All 
the rest is of white cedar, taken from the heart. The sap-wood 




MOoCc 
S \ EAR, 



absorbs water, and would make the 
canoe too heavy, so it is rejected. 
The wood requires to be straight 



396 



Summer. 



-f. 5 2.72 




TT32J3 



rxcf X.-JH. 








' "^ — V^- ■ \ 

' ' be FT HA wo >>. 






7/57//7 




4 



and clear, and it is best to use perfectly green wood for the 

ribs. 

Two strips \6\ feet long, \\ inch square, tapering toward 
either end, the ends being notched (see Fig. 369, A). Each 



Home-Made Boats. 



39: 




(;^-"3ftlDDuE"l'C)^ -J 



strip is mortised for the cross-bars as follows (see Fig. 271). 
The lower outside edge is bevelled off to receive the ends of the 
ribs. 

For dimensions of cross-bars see Fig. 271. The cross-bars 
are placed in position, and the ends of the gunwales are tied 
with spruce roots after being 



nailed together to prevent split- 
ting. Each bar is held in place 
by a peg of hard wood. 

For stitching and wrapping, 
long, slender roots of spruce, or 
sometimes of elm, are peeled 
and split in two. Black ash 
splits are rarely used except for 
repairing (Figs. 272, 273, 274). 

Next (B, Fig. 269) two strips 
I or I J inch by \ inch, a little 
over 19 feet long, to go outside, 
and (C, Fig. 269) two top strips, 
same length, two inches wide 
in middle, tapering to one inch 
at either end, i J inch thick. 

RIBS. 

About fifty in number (Figs. 
277-78) are split with the grain 
(F, Fig. 278), so that the heart side of the wood will be on the 
inner side when the rib is bent. The wood bends better this 
way. They must be perfectly straight-grained and free from 
knots. Ribs for the middle are four inches wide, ribs for the 
ends about three inches wide (Fig. 277 and G, Fig. 278), and 
are whittled down to a scant half an inch (Fig. 276). Green 
wood is generally used, and before it has had any time to sea- 




39^ Summer. 



son. The ribs may be softened by pouring hot water on them, 
and should be bent in pairs to prevent breaking (Fig. 275). 
They are held in shape by a band of cedar bark passed around 
outside. 

The ribs are of importance in the shaping of the canoe. 
The sides bulge out (Fig. 277-78). The shape of the ribs de- 
ter mines the depth and stability of the canoe. 

LINING STRIPS. 

Other strips, an eighth of an inch thick, are carefully whittled 
out, with straight edges. They are a little over eight feet long, 
and are designed to be laid inside on the bark, edge to edge, 
between the bark and the ribs. These strips lap an inch or two 
where they meet, in the middle of the canoe, and are wider 
here than at the ends, owing to the greater circumference of the 
canoe in the middle. 

SEASONING. 
Before building all the timber is carefully tied up and laid 
away. The ribs are allowed to season perfectly, so that they 
will keep their shape, and not spring back. 

THE BED. 

Next the bed is prepared on a level spot, if possible shaded 
from the sun. A space is levelled about three and a half feet 
wide and a little longer than the canoe. The surface is made 
perfectly smooth. The middle is one or two inches higher than 
either end. 

BUILDING. 

The frame is laid exactly in the middle of the bed. A small 
post is driven in the ground (Fig. 279), on which each end of 
the frame will rest. Stakes, two or three feet long and about 
two inches in diameter, are whittled flat on one side, and are 
driven with the flat side toward the frame at the following 



Home-Made Boats. 



399 



points, leaving a space of about a quarter of an inch between 
the stake and the frame (Fig. 279), one stake an inch or two on 
either side of each cross-bar, and another stake half way between 
each cross-bar. This makes eleven stakes on each side of the 
frame. Twelve additional stakes are driven as follows : One 
pair facing each other, at the end of the frame ; another pair, an 




inch apart, about six inches from the last pair, measuring 
toward the ends of the canoe ; and another pair, an inch apart, 
a foot from these. These last stakes will be nine and a half 
feet from the middle of the frame, and nineteen feet from the 
corresponding stakes at the other end. Next, these stakes are 
all taken up, and the frame laid aside. 



TO SOFTEN THE BARK. 

Next, the bark is unrolled. If it has laid until it has be- 
come a little hardened, it is placed in the river or stream for a 
day or two. It is spread out flat, and laid upon the bed with 
the gray or outside surface up. The inside surface it placed 
downward, and becomes the outside of the canoe. 

The frame is replaced upon the bark, so that it will be at 
the same distance from each side and end of the bed that it was 
before. At each cross-bar boards are laid across the frame, and 
heavy stones are laid upon them to keep the frame solid and 
immovable upon the bark (Fig. ^71, C). The edges of the bark 



400 Summer. 



are next bent up in a perpendicular position, and in order that 
it may bend smoothly slits are made in the bark in an outward 
direction, at right angles to the frame. A cut is made close to 
the end of each cross-bar, and one half way between each bark, 
which are generally sufficient to allow the bark to be bent up 
smoothly. As the bark is bent up, the large stakes are slipped 
back in the holes which they occupied before, and the tops of 
each opposite pair are connected with a strip of cedar bark 
which keeps the stakes perfectly perpendicular. At each end 
it is necessary to take out a small triangular piece or gore, so 
that the edges may come together without lapping. 

Next twenty-two pieces of cedar, one to two feet long, and 
about -J or f inch thick, are split out, and whittled thin and flat 
at one end. This sharpened edge is inserted between the out- 
side edge of the frame and the bent-up bark, opposite each large 
stake. . The other end of the chisel-shaped piece is tightly tied 
to the large stake outside. By means of the large outside stake 
and the inside " staked' so-called, the bark is held in a perfectly 
upright position ; and in order to keep the bent-up part more 
perfectly flat and smooth, the strips of cedar are pushed in 
lengthwise between the stakes and the bark, on each side of the^ 
bark (Fig. 271, C, D). 

Sometimes, in place of having temporary strips to go on 
outside of the bark, the long outside strip described before is 
slipped in place instead. 

j It may now be seen if the bark is not wide enough. If it is 
not, the sides must be pieced out with a narrow piece, cut in 
:such a way that the eyes in the bark will run in the same direc- 
tion as those of the large piece. 

As a general rule, from the middle to the next bar the strip 
for piecing is placed on the inside of the large piece, whose 
upper edge has previously' been trimmed straight, and the two 
are sewed together by the stitch shown in Fig. 272, the spruce 



Home- Made Boats. 401 

root being passed over another root laid along the trimmed-off 
edge of the large piece of bark to prevent the stitches from 
tearing out. From the second bar to the end of the canoe, or 
as far as may be necessary, the strip is placed outside the large 
piece, and from the second to the end bar is sewed as in Fig. 
273, and from the end bar to the end of the canoe is stitched 
as in Fig. 274. 

Next, the weights are taken off the frame, which is raised up 
as follows, the bark remaining flat on the bed as before : 

A post eight inches long is set up (Fig. 271, D), one end 
resting on the bark and the other end supporting either end of 
the middle cross-bar. Another post, nine inches long, is simi- 
larly placed under each end of the next cross-bar. Another, 
twelve inches long, i^s placed under each end of the end cross- 
bar ; and another, sixteen and a half or seventeen inches, sup- 
ports each end of the frame. 

As the posts are placed under each cross-bar, the weights are 
replaced ; and as these posts are higher at the ends than in the 
middle, the proper curve is obtained for the gunwales. The 
temporary strips, that have been placed outside the bent-up 
portion of the bark, are removed, and the long outside strip be- 
fore mentioned (B, Fig. 269) is slipped in place between the 
outside stakes and the bark. This strip is next nailed to the 
frame with wrought-iron nails that pass through the bark and 
are clinched on the inside. This outside strip has taken ex- 
actly the curve of the frame, but its upper edge, before nailing, 
was raised so as to be out an eighth of an inch (or the thickness 
of the bark) higher than the top surface of the frame, so that 
when the edges of the bark have been bent down, and tacked 
flat to the frame, a level surface will be presented, upon which 
the wide top strip will eventually be nailed. Formerly the outer 
strip was bound to the frame with roots every few inches, but 
now it is nailed. 



402 Summer, 



The cross-bars are now lashed to the frame, having previ« 
ously been held only by a peg. The roots are passed through 
holes in the end of the bars, around the outside strip (see right 
hand side of Fig. 271). A two-inch piece of the bark, which 



has been tacked down upon the frame, is removed at the ends 
by the cross-bars, where the spruce-roots are to pass around, and 
the outside strip is cut away to a corresponding extent, so that 
the roots, when wrapped around, will be flush with the surface 
above. 

All the stakes are now removed, and laid away to.be ready 
for the next canoe that may be built, and the canoe taken up- 
side down upon two horses or benches, that will keep the craft 
clear of the ground. 

The shape of the bow is now marked out,, either by the eye 
or with mechanical aid, according to the following rule : A cir- 
cle, with a radius of seventeen inches, is described (Fig. 280), 
having as a centre a point shown in diagram. The bark is then 
cut away to this line. 

BOWPIECE. 

To stiffen the bow, a bowpiece of cedar, nearly three feet 
long (Fig. 281), an inch and a half wide, and half an inch thick 
on one edge, bevelled and rounded off toward the other edge, 
is needed. To facilitate bending edgeways It is split into four 
or five sections (as in Fig. 283) for about thirty inches. The end 
that remains unsplit is notched on its thicker edge (Fig. 281) to 



Home-Made Boats. 



403 



receive the lower end of an oval cedar board (Fig. 282) that is 
placed upright in the bow underneath the tip of the frame. It 
is bent to correspond with the curve of the boat, with the thin 
edge toward the outside of the circle, and wrapped with twine, 
so that it will keep its shape. The bowpiece is placed between 
the edges of the bark, which are then sewed together by an 
over-and-over stitch, which passes through the bowpiece. 

A pitch is prepared of rosin and grease, in such proportions 
that it will neither readily crack in cold water nor melt in the 
sun. One or the other 



<«^^^2> 




ingredient is added until 
by test it is found just 
right. 

PATCHING AND PITCH- 
ING. 

The canoe is now 
placed on the ground, 
right side up, and all 
holes are covered on the 
inside with thin birch 
bark, that is pasted down 
with hot pitch. A strip 
of cloth is saturated with hot pitch, and pressed into the cracks 
on either side of the bow-piece inside, between the bark and 
the bowpiece (Fig. 284). 

The thin longitudinal strips are next laid in position, edge 
to edge, lapping several inches by the middle ; they are whit- 
tied thin here so as to lap evenly. 

The ribs are next tightly driven in place, commencing at 
the small end ones, and working toward the middle. The end 
ribs may be two or three inches apart, being closer toward the 
middle, where, in many cases, they touch. Usually, they are 



404 



Summer. 




<ZI 



about half an inch apart in the middle. Each rib is driven into 
place with a square-ended stick and a mallet. 

The ends are stuffed with shavings (Fig. 285 and ' Section' 
Fig. 286), an4 an oval cedar board is put in the place formerly- 
occupied by the post that sup- 
ported the end of the frame. 
The lower end rests in the 
notch of the bowpiece, while 
the upper is cut with two shoul- 
ders that fit underneath each 
side of the frame; Fig. 282 
shows the cedar board. 

The top strip is next nailed 
on to the frame. Almost al- 
ways a piece of bark, a foot or 
more long, and nine or ten inches wide, is bent and slipped un- 
der, between both top and side strips and the bark. The ends 
of this piece hang down about three inches below the side strips. 
The loose ends of the strips are bound together, as in diagram, 
and the projecting tips of both strips and bowpiece are trimmed 
off close. 

Next, the canoe is turned upside down. If winter bark has 
been used, the surface is moistened, and the roughness scraped 
off with a knife. Generally the red rough surface is left in the 
form of a decorative pattern several inches wide around the 
upper edge (Fig. 280). Sometimes the maker's name and date 
are left in this way. 

Finally, a strip of stout canvas, three or four inches wide, is 
dipped in the melted pitch, and laid on the stitching at the 
ends, extending up sufficiently far above water line. All ciacks 
and seams are covered with pitch, laid on with a small wooden 
paddle. While still soft, a wet finger or the palm of the har*^ 
is rubbed over the pitch to smooth it down before it hardens 



Home-Made Boats, 405 



LEAKS. 

Water is placed inside, and the leaky places marked, to be 
stopped when dry. A can of rosin is usually carried in the 
canoe, and when a leak occurs, the canoe is taken out of the 
water, the leak discovered by sucking, the place dried with a 
torch of wood or birch bark, and the pitch applied. 

Paddles are made of rock maple, and sometimes of birch andj 
even cedar. Bow paddles are usually longer and narrower in . 
the blade than stern paddles (Fig. 287). 

BOTTOM PROTECTION. 

Sometimes the canoe is shod with " shoes," or strips of 
cedar, laid lengthwise, and tied to the outside of the bark with 
ash splits that pass through holes in the cedar shoes, and are 
brought up around the sides of the canoe and tied to each cross- 
bar. This protects the bottom of the boat from the sharp rocks 
that abound in some rapid streams. 

All canoes are of the general shape of the one described, 
though this is considerably varied in different localities, some 
being built with high rolling bows, some slender, some wider, 
some nearly straight on the bottom, others decidedly curved. 

Besides the two paddles the canoe should carry a pole ten feet 
long, made of a slender spruce, whittled so as to be about one 
and three-fourths inch in diameter in the middle, and smaller 
at either end, and having at one end either a ring and a spike or 
else a pointed cap of iron. The pole is used for propelling the 
canoe up swift streams. This, says my informant, " is abso- 
lutely indispensable." The person using the pole stands in one 
end, or nearer the middle if alone, and pushes the canoe along 
close to the bank, so as to take advantage of the eddies, guiding 
the canoe with one motion, only to be learned by practice, and 
keeping the pole usually on the side next the bank. Where 



4o6 Summer, 



the streams have rocky and pebbly bottoms poling is easy, but 
in muddy or soft bottoms it is tiresome work. 

There is not one man in ten around a boat-house that knows 
how to handle a shell boat. Frail as these little racing machines 
are they will last a long time with careful handling. 

Now, the same general remarks apply to a birch bark canoe, 
and careless handling will soon spoil a beautiful craft. Figs. 288, 
289, 290, 291, will show the reader how to pick up and carry his 
boat without injuring it. 

A CANVAS CANOE 

can be made by substituting canvas in the place of birch bark ; 
and if it is kept well painted it makes not only a durable but a 
very beautiful boat. The writer owns a canvas canoe that is at 
least fifteen years old and is still in good condition. 

About six yards of ten-ounce cotton canvas, fifty inches 
wide, will be sufficient to cover a canoe, and it will require two 
papers of four-ounce tinned tacks to secure the canvas on the 
frame. 

The boat should be placed, deck down, upon two *' horses" 
or wooden supports, such as you see carpenters and builders 
use. 

Fold the canvas lengthwise, so as to find the centre, then 
tack the centre of one end of the cloth to top of bow-piece or 
stem, using two or three tacks to hold it securely. Stretch the 
cloth the length of the boat, pull it taut, with the centre line of 
the canvas over the keel line of the canoe, and tack the centre 
of the other end of the cloth to the top of the stern piece. 

If care has been taken thus far, an equal portion of the cov- 
ering will lap the gunwale on each side of the boat. 

Begin amidships and drive the tacks, about two inches apart, 
along the gunwale and an inch below the deck (on the outside). 
Tack about two feet on one side, pull the cloth tightly across, 



Home-Made Boats. 



407 









4o8 Summer. 



and tack it about three feet on the other side. Continue to al 
ternate, tacking on one side and then the other, until finished. 

With the hands and fingers knead the cloth so as to thicken 
or " full " it where it would otherwise wrinkle, and it will be 
possible to stretch the canvas without cutting it over the frame. 

The cloth that projects beyond ^ the gunwale may be used, 
for the deck, or it maybe cut off after bringing it over and tack- 
ing upon the inside of the gunwale, leaving the canoe open like 
a birch bark. 

The Dug-out. 

Although not quite as delicate in model or construction as 
the graceful birch-bark canoe, the " dug-out " of the Indians is 
a most wonderful piece of work, when we consider that it is 
carved from the solid trunk of a giant tree with the crudest of 
tools, and is the product of savage labor. 

Few people now living have enjoyed the opportunity of see- 
ing one built, and, as the author is not numbered among that 
select few, he considers it a privilege to be able to quote the 
following interesting account given by Mr. J. H. Mallett, of 
Helena. 

How to Build a Siwash Canoe. 

" While visiting one of the small towns along Puget Sound, 
I was greatly interested in the way the Indians built their 
canoes. It is really wonderful how these aborigines can, with 
the crudest means and with a few days' work, convert an un- 
wieldy log into a trim and pretty canoe. 

" One Monday morning I saw a buck building a fire at the 
base of a large cedar-tree, and he told me that this was the first 
step in the construction of a canoe that he intended to use upon 
the following Saturday. He kept the fire burning merrily all 
that day and far into the night, when a wind came up and com- 



Home-Made Boats. 409 

pleted the downfall of the monarch of the forest. The next 
day the man arose betimes, and, borrowing a cross-cut saw from 
a logger, cut the trunk of the tree in twain at a point some fif- 
teen feet from where it had broken off, and then with a dull 
hatchet he hacked away until the log had assumed the shape of 
the desired canoe. In this work he was helped by his squaw. 
The old fellow tl:en built a fire on the upper part of the log, 
guiding the course of the fire with daubs of clay, and in due 
course of time the interior of the canoe had been burned out. 
Half a day's work with the hatchet rendered the inside smooth 
and shapely. 

" The canoe was now, I thought, complete, though it ap- 
peared to be dangerously narrow of beam. This the Indian 
soon remedied. He filled the shell two-thirds full of water, 
and into the fluid he dropped half a dozen stones that had been 
heating in the fire for nearly a day. The water at once attained 
a boiling point, and so softened the wood that the buck and 
squaw were enabled to draw out the sides and thus supply the 
necessary breadth of beam. Thwarts and slats were then placed 
in the canoe, and the water and stones thrown out. When the 
steamed wood began to cool and contract the thwarts held it 
back, and. the sides held the thwarts, and there the canoe was 
complete, without a nail, joint, or crevice, for it was made of 
one piece of wood. The Siwash did not complete it as soon as 
he had promised, but it only took him eight days." 




4IO Summer, 



SOAP-BUBBLES. 

Since writing Chapter XIV., my little nephew has shown 
me an improvement on the cumbersome manner of blowing gas 
bubbles here described. 

Blow a bubble just large enough to retain its form ; put 
your finger over the mouthpiece of your pipe to prevent the es- 
cape of air ; then quickly but gently place the bubble over the 
gas-burner, that has previously been dampened with soap-water. 

The gas-burner will enter the bubble without bursting it, 
and when the gas is turned on, will fill the bubble, which 
can then be removed and sent skyward without dif^culty, thus 
obviating the necessity of the rubber tube. Here is another 
suggestion from a young friend : 

" I was very much interested in the directions for making bubbles. I 
make them sometimes with an empty spool, by rubbing it on the soap ; 
then dipping it in the water only a very httle, and blowing through the 
other end, I make as nice a bubble as though I used a pipe." 

One of Your Readers. 

PAPER FIRE-WORKS. 

Simultaneously with the announcement in the New York 
City papers that by an explosion of red fire the author of this 
book had met with a terrible accident, and the probable loss of 
his eyesight, there appeared in the Youths Companion, an article 
by the injured party on " Harmless Paper Fire-works." 

If the author had confined himself to his own suggestions he 
would have had just as much or more enjoyment, saved himself 
a terrible ordeal, and six months' loss of time, besides saving his 
friends from the anxiety they felt over the doubtful recovery 
of his sight. And here he wants to thank the number of boys, 
strangers to him by name, but whose friendship he values and 
evidently possesses, for their very kind letters during his tern- 



Paper Fire-works. 



411 




porary blindness, which letters he was unable to answer on ac- 
count of the red fire having, for the time being, closed and 
sealed those wonderful little curtains we call the eyelids. 

Paper Thunderbolts 

do not, as might be inferred from their name, make a noise, but si-' 
lently dart about in the sky in a most novel and amusing manner. 

When Mr. W, Hamilton Gibson occupied the studio at 191 
Broadway, and the author was a 
travelling surveyor, Mr. Gibson 
used to amuse himself and friends 
by making these thunderbolts and 
dropping them from the window 
of his studio. 

Cut some colored paper into 
pieces about four inches wide and 
eight inches long. Then at one 
end of each piece cut it into strips 
about one-third of the length of the paper (Fig. 292). Pinch the 
uncut end of the paper together, and twist it tightly, so that it 
^will not come undone (Fig. 293), 

The Fuse. 

If one can be procured, buy a miner's fuse ; if not, soak a piece 
of loosely twisted twine or cord in wet gunpowder and allow it 
to dry, or use the fuses from the centre of a pack of fire-crackers. 

Make a bundle of a hundred or more various-colored thun- 
derbolts, wrap them loosely in a piece of tissue-paper, and bind 
them with a piece of twine which has first been tied to the fuse, 
about an inch or two from the end of the latter, in such a man- 
ner that the inch or two of fuse forms part of the band around 
the thunderbolts (Fig. 294), while the rest of the fuse is left 
free (D to B, Figs. 294-5). 



Fig. 292. 




Fig. 293. 



412 



Summer, 



Then make fast the loose end of the twine to your big 
Fourth of July kite's tail (E, Figs. 294-5). Send up the kite, 
and, just as she rises, light the free end of the fuse, and as the 



fSi^ 





kite ascends the fuse will burn slowly up to the bundle until it 
reaches the part where it forms part of the band around the 
thunderbolts. As sood as it burns here the weight of the bundle 
severs the charred band, and down come all the odd-shaped 
pieces of paper, darting this way and that, and all of them act- 
ing as if possessed 
with life, presenting 
not only an amusing 
but a really beautiful 
sight in the sky. 

Parachutes. 

If a number of 
simply made para- 
chutes be attached 
to the powder-soaked 
string, at intervals, as the fuse burns to the point of attachment, 
they will drop off, and float away in a most graceful and beauti- 




FlG. 297. 



Fig. 296. 



Paper Fire^works. 



413 




Fig. 298. 



Fig. 299. 



ful manner. Make the parachutes of tissue-paper cut into pieces 
about five inches square. Twist each corner, and fasten to it a 

thread about eight inches long 

(Fig. 296). Wrap a small peb- 
ble in pieces of scrap-paper, and 
make it take the form of a tor- 
pedo : make the four free ends of 
thread fast to the pebble (Fig. 
297). A twist in the centre of 
the paper will give a point to 
attach the thread to (Fig. 297), 
the other end is fastened to the fuse (Fig. 295). Besides para- 
chutes and thunderbolts, 

Paper Whirligigs 

can be made (Fig. 298) of 
common wrapping-paper cut 
in the form of spirals. Some 
sort of weight, not too heavy, 
must be gummed to the cen- 
tre of the whirligig, so that 
when freed in mid air the 
weight will draw the spiral 
out, and they will present a 
curious sight, as they go wrig- 
gling and twisting toward the 
earth (Fig. 299). 

Birds and butterflies may 
be made in the forms shown 
by Figs. 300, 301, 302. A 
stick run through the head 
and neck gives them the proper balance to make them pitch 
and dive as they go through the air. 




414 Summer , 



With paper fireworks an enjoyable day may be spent and 
the glorious Fourth of July passed with no danger of such a 
painful accident as happened to the writer July 4, 1884, but 
irom which he fully recovered. 

Home-made Hunting Apparatus. 

WHITTLING. 
Some one has been trying to claim for the practice of whit- 
tling an English origin, and in a little work, published in London 
in 1774, entitled "The Sentimental Exhibition; or, Portraits 
and Sketches of the Times," may be found the following state- 
ment : " M. Grosse, or some other Frenchman, remarks, that 
when we English have no other employment, we are sure to do 
mischief, and, therefore, when a parcel of sailors go into an inn 
at Wapping, the landlord delivers to each of them a stick and a 
knife with which to amuse himself, that they may not destroy 
the host's furniture." 

In Kentucky and all through the Southwest, fifty years ago, 
it was the custom to have piled up on the hotel counter a lot 
of neat cedar sticks. Each guest, as he left the dining-room, se- 
lected a stick, and, taking out his jack-knife, commenced to 
whittle as he talked. So universal was this habit that he prob- 
ably would have been unable to talk without whittling. The 
author has seen the most complicated wooden chains and cubes, 
with movable balls inside, that were whittled out of solid sticks 
by some of these old-time experts, and are now kept as curiosi- 
ties by their children. 

Now, however, whittling is confined mostly to boys, and, as 
the Americans are noted for their practical ideas, there is no rea- 
son why American boys should not make something of use, at 
least to themselves, with their jack-knives. Suppose my reader 
commences with a piece of straight-grained pine, about one or 
one-and-a-half inch thick, and free from knots. 



Home-made Hunting Apparatus, 415 



THE ELASTIC GUN. 

Carve a gun-stock in the form of Fig. 303, smoothe it nicely, 
and cut a slot (A) for the triggen 

THE SLING. ■ ^ 

Cut a piece of wood long enough to project about one inch 
or more on each side of the barrel (B, Fig. 304), and screw it 
firmly to the ^ • 

muzzle. Near . Hi .g- 30 3 

the ends of the 
cross -piece, 
put screw- 
eyes, and at- 
tach a strong 



elastic to each 

screw - eye (C, 

C, Fig. 304). 

To the elastics 

fasten a soft 

leather sling 

with strong cords. A still more simple way is to screw the 

screw-eyes one on each side of the muzzle of the gun, and fasten 

the elastics on to them. 





THE TRIGGER. 

Make the trigger of a piece of perfectly straight hoop-iron, 
three or four inches long; with a nail, punch two holes in it ; bend 
about half an inch of one end of the iron at right angles ; them 
make a triangular block of wood, and bpre a hole in one corner, 



41 6 , Summer, 



and with a screw fasten the hoop-iron on securely ; fasten one 
end of a short string to the hole in the straight end of the hoop- 
iron, and to the other end of the string attach a ring. 

Put the trigger in the slot (A, Fig. 303), and let it fit closely 
but move freely. Put a screw into the stock so that it will run 
through the corner of the triangle of the trigger and through 
the stock to hold the trigger in place. 

Slip a strong rubber band around the trigger (E, Fig. 306), 
and the gun is finished and ready to use. 

The boy who invented this gun as an improvement on the 
one described on page 198, states that it will shoot with great 
accuracy and force. After a little practice he claims that he 
could snuff a candle at fifty feet. 

Archery. 

There are innumerable books written on this sport, and con- 
sequently it does not fall under the list of subjects appropriate 
to the American Boys' Handy Book, except in the form of an 
introduction to some home-made weapons. 

Archery as a fashionable recreation is now upon the ebb, 
but archery for boys is, and has been always, a popular and in- 
expensive pastime. 

The bold Robin Hood is still the boy's hero. He was an 
outlaw, but outlaws in his days were often more respectable 
than the polished courtiers who followed the king. Robin 
Hood's fame, as a bowman, has done not a little to add to the 
popularity of the sport, although the best authorities of to-day 
claim that the tales of the wonderful feats in archery by this 
bold outlaw and his men cannot be regarded as strictly true. 
A writer for the New York Sun says that : " The longest distance 
that an arrow has been sent from a bow, the record of which 
may be regarded as authentic, is 972 yards. This tremendous 
feat was accomplished by Selim, Grand Seignor of Turkey, in 



Archery. 417 



1798. The record was carefully taken by Sir Robert AinsHe, 
at that time British representative at the Turkish court. The 
bows of to-day could not throw an arrow under the best condi- 
tions half that distance. The Turks made their bows to use as 
weapons, and they were accordingly long and heavy, and the 
arrow that Selim shot was a light one. One of the best long 
records made in England was the work of a Turkish bow and a 
Turkish archer. It was in 1792, when Mahmoud Effendi, Sec- 
retary to the Turkish Embassy, shot an arrow a distance of 482 
yards. The best bows of the present time find their limit at 
about 400 yards. These records are simply indicative of the 
strength of the bows and the archers." 

Occasionally we hear of some good work with the bow in our 
own country. Not long since, when a flock of wild geese passed 
over Virginia City and wheeled in one of their circles, Otey, the 
long-bowman and " Lone Archer of the Sierra," sent a shaft 
among them. It was a long shaft, but it was well aimed. It 
went whizzing through the air and penetrated one of the wings 
of a flyer, causing it to flutter and lose place in the flock, which 
proves that we have some experts in this country who do not 
belong to the red-skinned fellows, who are being so rapidly and 
shamefully exterminated in the West. 

My readers, I hope, are perfectly able to make their own 
weapons, and need not call upon their parents for money to 
buy shop-made outfits, for they are expensive. The best yew 
bows for ladies cost from $18 to $50 each ; the same for gentle- 
men, $20 to $100 each. Arrows for ladies are $3.50 to $11 per 
dozen ; for gentlemen, $5 to $12 per dozen. Practising arrows 
can be bought as low as $1.50 and $2.00 per dozen. Bowstrings 
cost 25 to 50 cents each. For ladies, quivers cost $1.50 to 
$2.75 each; for gentlemen, $2.50 to $3.50 each. The rest of 
the outfit consists of arm-guards, $1 to $2 each ; shooting- 
glove?, 75 cents to %2 each ; tips for bows, 50 to 75 cents per 
37 



4i8 



Summer, 



pair, and tassels, 50 to 75 cents each. Targets can be bought 
all the way from $1 to $7 apiece; target-stands, $2.50 to $5 
each ; green baize bow-covers, 75 cents each, and scoring-cards 
and tablets, ivory and ebony prickers, 25 cents to %2 apiece. 

American boys love novelties and improvements on all 
things ; and if we cannot improve on Robin Hood's long bow, 
we can at least introduce 



THE BUCKEYE BOW, 

which to most boys will be a novelty, and does away with the 
constant liability to lose your arrows (Fig. 306). 

The illustrations here given 
show a new sort of bow, and a 
manner of using it that avoids the 
above difficulty. 

Split a good strong barrel- 
stave, and whittle it into the form 
of a bow, two inches wide at the 
centre, and tapering to about 
three-quarters of an inch at each 
end. It is necessary to strengthen 
with another piece of stave, spliced 
on to the centre. Let the splice 
be one -third the length of the 
bow. Through the centre of the 
bow and splice, bore a hole large 
enough for the arrow to fit it 
loosely (Fig. 307). 

Make the arrow of any tough, 
straight - grained wood, in the 
form shown by Fig. 308. Let it be at least three-quarters of an 
inch thick at the thick end. Use great care to make the thick 
end terminate at right angles, or, to use a boy*s term, " square- 




THE BUCKEYE BOW. 



stone-throwing. 



419 



ly," at a distance from the notch exactly equal to the distance 
from the middle of the string to the centre of the bow when it 

is strung (see Figs. 307 
A, and 308). 

Fill your ammunition- 
bag with buckeyes, horse- 
chestnuts, or small pota- 
toes. Clay and putty 
may be manufactured 
into balls and used as 
missiles. 

This will make an 
outfit which will serve to 
amuse any boy, and, as 
with all other weapons, 
by practice great skill 
may be acquired in its 
use. 

Stone-throwing. 

I can remember boys 
with whom I used to play 

who were wonderful marksmen with stones, using only their 
arm and hand to propel them. 

In Virginia there is said to live a young man, named Cross, 
who goes hunting without a gun, his sole and only weapons 
being smooth round stones, which he carries in his pockets. 
Throwing stones, he kills not only hares but partridges. Three 
respectable and truth-telling men assured the correspondent of 
the Richmond Telegram that they went out one day with him, 
they taking their guns ; that he killed that day, using nothing 
but stones thrown from his hand, six hares running, and three 
partridges flying. He attended the State Fair, where a show- 




420 Summer. 



man exhibited rag-babies arranged on steps and charged five 
cents for two throws with a ball, at say ten paces. If you struck 
a baby, he gave you a prize and charged nothing. You have 
doubtless seen the game. Cross went in, threw and struck, and 
struck and threw, knocking over a baby at every pop until he 
broke up the show. 

If such skill can be acquired with the unassisted hand and 
arm the reader may readily see that there are still greater possi- 
bilities with many of the home-made weapons described in th'*^ 
book. 



AUTUMN. 

DECOYS. 

Before writing anything further in this line, the author 
^ust confess that as a boy or man he never killed an animal 
without a feeling of remorse for what he had done, and it was 
only after long thought and study upon the subject that he de- 
cided to put anything about hunting and trapping in this book. 
But after mature deliberation, the conclusion reached was that 
other boys must have the same sensations as himself, when a 
bloody little trophy of their skill is stowed away in their game- 
bag, and that these feelings will prevent the average lad from 
killing for the sake of killing; for there is no fun in wanton 
destruction of life for a properly educated boy; and the writer 
trusts that none of his readers will ever aim their guns at a 
harmless song-bird, or any other creature not considered neces- 
sary for the table. And now that we understand one another, 
let us see if we cannot also understand the game. 

Dead Duck Decoys. 

As the triangle of wild ducks in the sky approach their 
feeding-ground, and catch sight of their fellows, already at their 
repast, they argue, and rightly so, that there can be no enemy 
near. 

Hunters and sportsmen, being well acquainted with this 
fact, go to the resort of the ducks, and scatter over the water a 
lot of frauds in the shape of ducks made of wood to deceive the 
wild birds overhead ; but these have the usual objection that 
most boys find to all hunting apparatus — expense. Now, if my 



422 



Autumn, 



reader is an expert, and can slip up within range and secure a 
duck or two, he can, with little trouble, convert the dead ducks 

into decoys to lure on 
their live comrades to 
death, and the place of 
honor on the dinner- 
table. 

With your pocket- 
knife cut four pieces of 
wood in the proportions 
shown in Fig. 309 ; bind 
them together with 
string, take a small 
switch, and bend it in 
a loop as a support for 
the tail, and fasten it in 
place, as shown in the 
diagram. At what 
might be termed the 
bow, fasten an upright 
Y - shaped stick, or a 
sharp pointed one to 
hold the dead duck's 
head in place. Two 
pointed sticks fastened 
in the sides will keep 
the bird in place. 
Fig. 310 shows a side view of the duck-frame. A string is 
attached to one end with a stone for an anchor; it keeps the 
head of the decoy to the wind, after the manner of a live duck, 
and the live bird will not discover the cheat until it is too late 
to retreat, provided the reader is a good shot. Fig. 311 shows 
the dead duck set up as a decoy. 




Decoys. — Taxidermy. 



423 



Shingle Snipe and Plover Decoys. 

The diagrams, Figs. 312, 313, 314, explain the construction 
of these decoys so well that it is only necessary to say that they 
can be made of shingles by the aid of your pocket-knife, and, 
with some paint added, will look enough like the real birds to 
deceive even the much-perse- 
cuted and wary snipe and plo- 
ver. 

The second (Fig. 3 1 3) shows 
one with wings of birch-bark 
added. Fig. 314 gives the pat- 
tern of the birch-bark wings. 

To be a good hunter it is 
absolutely necessary to be well 
posted upon the habits of the 
creature hunted ; and such a 
person will secure game where 
another person would not even 
suspect its presence. 

Place your decoys for snipe 
in the muddy or marshy spot 
that the birds are wont to fre- 
quent ; then hide in some con- 
venient blind or cover. Of 
course, a top view of the shingle decoy presents only a straight 
line to the eye, as does a direct end view ; but this matters 
little, as these particular views are not the ones likely to be 
seen by the birds, especially if there is a number of decoys set 
at different angles. 

Notes on Taxidermy. 

The writer has received so many enquiries for a good recipe 
for tanning skins without injury to the fur, that he takes pleas- 




^"■'^S 



424 Autumn. 



ure in quoting §o excellent authority in such matters as Mr. 
Isaac H. Bailey. This gentleman published the following 
formulas for accomplishing this in the Shoe and Leather 
Reporter : 

" Take two parts each of alum and salt, and one of saltpetre, 
all well pulverized. Clear the flesh of fatty matter. Sprinkle it 
white with the mixture. Fold in edges and roll up ; remain 
four days, then wash with clean water, and then with soap and 
water. Pull the skin when drying, to make it soft. 

" Another recipe is : Lay the wet skin on a smooth slab or a 
hard board ; scrape with a dull knife until all loose flesh and 
film is removed ; then wash off in soft water. Take a glass or 
stone jar, put in an ounce of oil of vitriol and a gallon of rain or 
river water. Let the skin steep in this for about half an hour. 
Take it out, work it with the hands until dry, when it will be 
pliable and soft. The more worked the softer. Use no grease." 

How to Make an "Uncle Enos " Banjo. 

Fig. No. 315, page 426, shows a cigar-box, with holes bored 
through the ends for the stick that supports the neck to pass 
through. The bottom of the box is used for the top to the 
banjo. The lid of the box may be left on, so that it can be 
closed or opened, as the taste or ear of the banjoist may direct. 

Fig. No. 316 represents a pine board with a plan of the neck 
drawn upon it, ready to be sawed out. Z>, d\ d'\ d''' mark the 
spots where holes are to be bored through for the key to turn 
in. The place for the low bridge that separates the strings be- 
fore they enter the keys is marked by the dotted lines at a; a. 
rectangular slot should be cut here to fit the bridge (Fig. 5, 
Diagram 318) into, as shown by the side-view of the neck (Fig. 
321) ; d (Fig. 316) is a ke)^hole in the side of the neck for the 
short string. See side-view (Fig. 321). 

The slot for a small bridge for the short string of the banjo is 



How to Make an " Uncle Enos " Banjo. 425 



marked by the dotted lines at c (Fig. 3 16). This little bridge is 
fitted in the slot, as shown in the side-view (Fig. 321). 

Fig. 317 shows the broomstick, whittled down at oneend, so 
as to fit the holes bored in the cigar-box, through which it must 
pass and protrude about one-half inch at the butt. The top to 
the upper part of the broomstick is smoothed off flat, so that 
the neck (Fig. 316) may be securely screwed 
on to it, as is more clearly shown by the 
side-view (Fig. 321). 

Fig. 4 (Diagram 318) shows what shape 
to make the keys. The latter must have 
holes (just large enough for the banjo 
strings to pass through) bored near the 
ends, as shown by the diagram. The keys 
may be made of any kind of wood — hard 
wood is the best. 

Fig. 5 (Diagram 318) shows the bridge 
that fits into the slot a (Fig. 316), already 
described. 

Fig. 6 (Diagram 318) is simply a piece 
of tin bent into the shape shown in the 
diagram, and made to fit over the butt- 
end of the banjo for the wires of Fig. 7 
(Diagram 318) to pass over when the lat- 
ter is put in place (see Fig. 319). 

Fig. 7 (Diagram 318) is a piece of hard 
wood or leather with five small holes bored through it for the 
attachment of the banjo-strings, and a wire loop at the end 
that passes over the piece of tin (Fig. 6, Diagram 318), and is 
held in place by the tension of the strings and the protruding 
end of the broomstick at the butt of the banjo (Fig. 319). 

The bridge proper is shown by Fig. 8 (Diagram 318). It 
may be cut from a piece of soft pine in a few moments, with a 




426 



AutMmn. 



pocket-knife. Its f)lace 
is in front of Fig 7 
(Diagram 318), where 
it spreads the five 
strings before they 
pass over the head and 
neck of the instrument. 

Fig. 321 shows the 
leek finished and all 
ready to be fitted to 
^he box. The neck is 
fastened to its broom- 
stick support by two 
screws, as may be seen 
in the diagram. 

Fig. 319 shows the 
finished instrument, all 
strung and ready for 
use. 

Fig. 320 shows the 
arrangement of the 
banjo strings. The 
shortest string on a 
banjo is the fifth. And 
now we have reached 
the part where the boy 
who wants to make an 
Uncle Enos banjo will 
have to expend a few 
cents. Go to a dealer, 
and for the first and 
fifth ask for E strings. 
Let the first be a little 




Diagram 318. 





I 



How to Make an " Uncle Enos'' Banjo. 427 

heavier than the fifth. The second should also be an E string, 
but much heavier than the first. For the third, ask for a guitar 
B string. The fourth, or bass string, is manufactured especially 
for the now popular banjo, and care must be taken not to pur- 
chase the guitar D for the banjo A, or bass ; both strings are 
silver, wound on silk, but the latter is much finer wound than 
the guitar D. 

The author has seen a banjo made under the direction of 
his old friend Uncle Enos, and the whole thing cost but half a 
day's labor and forty cents for strings. 



WINTER. 
NOTES ON SNOW-SHOES. 

Away out in Wyoming some of our cowboy friends had 
great fun with the barrel-stave sleds described on page 260. 
They did not use them for ammunition sleds to carry snow- 
balls, but as toboggans. I am informed by one of the " boys," 
Mr. Dan Smith, that near his ranch, which is located at the 
foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, there is a very tall and 
steep-sided hill or mountain, the apex of which is scarcely large 
enough for a man to stand on, and is reached by a zigzag walk. 

Early in the spring, after the first thaw had frozen, making a 
thick crust on the snow, Mr. Smith built him a barrel-stave sled, 
climbed to the top of the mountain with his wooden steed, and 
shot down the precipitous side. Down, down he went, like the 
wind ! clearing slight hollows with a bound through the air, 
which excited the wildest enthusiasm among the cowboys, In- 
dians, and half-breeds, and it was not long before there was 
not a barrel left in all the region around ; and all day long, as 
long as the crust lasted, these grown-up boys flew down the 
mountain side amid shouts and laughter on the barrel-stave 
sleds described in Chapter XXVII. 

Not only sleds,"^ hammocks, and the Norwegian f ski or 
" Skilobning " can be made from barrel-staves, but a very good 
substitute for the ordinary snow-shoe may be manufactured from 
the same material. 

* See American Girls' Handy Book, Charles Scribner's Sons, Publishers, 
f Chapter XXIX., p. 279. 



Notes on Snow-shoes. 



429 



Barrel-Stave Snow-shoe. 

Each barrel-stave snow-shoe consists of two staves, set just far 
enough apart to allow the sole of an old shoe to rest between. 
(Fig. 322). The staves .^d 32a 

are joined together by ^ 

cross-pieces near each 
end, arranged as shown 
in the diagram. 

From a pair of old 
boots or shoes, much 
too large for the expect- 
ant snow-shoer, a pair 
of rude slippers are made by 
the aid of a sharp knife (Fig. 
323). This shoe or slipper is 
screwed firmly to the second 
cross-stick, as is shown in Fig. 
322. The back part of the slip- 
per is allowed to rest upon and 
is fastened to the net-work, 
made of clothes - line, or any 
other small rope or heavy twine. 
The rope is strung through 
holes in the sides of the staves, 
which have been bored with a 
red-hot iron. 

The part where the line 
comes upon the under part of 
the shoe can be grooved with 
the same hot iron, so that the rope will not project beyond the 
stave and impede the movements of the snow-shoer in sliding 
or coasting down inclines. 




430 



IVinter. 



Lace the shoes on the feet, after the manner shown in the 
diagram (Fig. 324), and you have a pair of very serviceable 
crusting shoes, that is, shoes to use when a crust has formed 
over the surface of a deep snow which is not of sufficient strength 




to prevent the unprotected shoe from crushing through at each 
step, but which will bear a snow-shoer safely, on account of hisi 
weight being distributed over a larger space (see illustration). 

These shoes can also be used in travelling over boggy ground 
in the summer. 



Notes on Snow-shoes. 43?: 



Again the author finds that the most difficult part of such 
a book as this is the end, for after he has gone over the seasons 
in detail as he did when a boy, it is hard to lay down the pen 
and again plunge into the busy world along with other old boys 
the tops of whose heads begin to resemble what the lads in 
Kentucky called "alleys," a sort of flesh-colored marble of 
" Meg " with faint blue veins on it, very hard and very shiny. 



INDEX. 



Aauarium, the, 44-53 ; fresh-water 
aquariums, 44 ; badly constructed 
aquariums, 45 ; the author's first 
aquarium, 46 ; how to make aqua- 
riums, 48-51 i plants for the 
aquarium, 49 ; land and water 
aquariums, 50 ; fountain for aqua- 
rium, 51; the author's aquarium, 
51 ; stocking the aquarium, 53 ; 
food, 53 ; aquarium cement, 57 ; 
see also Aquatic Plants. Marine 
Aquariums, 61-65 ; improve- 
ments oil common tank, 6t ; ce- 
ment, 62 ; arrangement of marine 
aquarium, 62 ; collecting for ma- 
rine aquarium, 66-68 ; importance 
of healthy specimens, 67 ; the 
marine worm {Pplycirrus exim- 
ius)y 67 ; barnacles, 6y ; sketch- 
ing aquariums, 241. 

American Canoeist, The, 118. 

Amusements for in-doors, 305 ; 
games: bric-k-brac, or the tourist's 
curiosities, 305 ; mind-reading, 
309; the Literary Sketch Club, 
310; the "Boy's Own Phunny- 



graph," 314; puppet-shows, 322 ; 
magic lanterns, 346 ; a home-made 
kaleidoscope, 347 ; fortune-teller's 
box, 348; the magic cask, 351 ; 
dancing fairies, 354 ; handkerchief 
tricks, 354 ; the potato mill, 360 ; 
the saw-mill, ib.; whirligigs, 361 ; 
the magic wheel, 365 ; the universe 
in a card-box, 368 ; electrical ex- 
periments, 371 ; masquerades, 374. 

Animal magnetism, 371. 

Aquatic plants ; see Plants. 

Archery, 416. 

Arsenical soap for preserving stuffed 
birds, 235 ; how to make, 239 ; 
Wallace's receipt, ib. 

Artist, every boy his own decorative, 
248-253 ; shadow pictures, 248 ; 
photographic paper, 250 ; how to 
enlarge or reduce drawings by 
squares, ib. 

B 

Balloons, paper, 136 ; unsafe shapes, 
ib. ; safe models, 137; how to 
build hot-air balloons, 138-142; 
wick preferable to sponge for fiire- 



434 



Index, 



ball, 140; sending up the balloons, 
141 ; fireworks for, 144 ; see 
Parachutes. 

Banjo, an *' Uncle Enos," 424. 

Barnacles for aquariums, 67. 

Bends and hitches ; see Knots. 

Bird-bolas, 196 ; for hunting, 197. 

Birds' eggs, how to collect and pre- 
serve, 167 ; the right and wrong of 
egg-collecting, ib. ; the egg-drill 
and blow-pipe, 168 ; blown eggs, 
ib. ; drying, ib. ; the egg cabinet, 
169; cataloguing, ib. 

Birds, how to stuff; see Taxidermy. 

Bird-nesting, 167 ; wanton destruc- 
tion of nests, ib. ; the yellowbird's 
two-story nest, 169; meadow wren's 
nest, 170; preserving nests, ib. 

Bird singers, 161 ; the block singer, 
ib. 

Birds, wild, how to rear, 1 71-187; 
learn habits when wild, ib. ; food, 
ib. ; squabs, 172; cow blackbird, 
ib. ; wrens, sparrows, and finches, 
173 ; bobolinks, ib. ; catbirds, 174 ; 
robins, ib. ; thrushes, 175 ; blue- 
birds, 176'; summer yellowbird, ib.; 
bluejay, 177; humming-birds, ib.; 
crows, 180; hawks, 181; owls, 
184; sea birds, ib. ; strange do- 
mestic fowls, 186. 

Blackwall hitch, the, 75. 

Blow-guns used by the Dyaks of 
Borneo, 200 ; how to make blow- 
guns, 201 ; Indian blow-guns, 202. 

Blow-pipes, 168. 

Bluebirds, how to rear, 176; as pets, 
ib. 

Bluejays, how to rear, 177. 



Boats, home-made, 95-117, 389; 
experiences with, 96 ;• the cata^ 
maran, 96 ; Man-Friday, 97 ; the 
Crusoe raft, 97 ; the scow, loi ; 
flat-boats, 105 ; the " Yankee 
Pine," 113 ; see also Ice-Boats. 

Boat-rigging, 121; the *' fore-and- 
aft " rig, ib.; a simple rig, 122; 
the sails, 123 ; the spars, ib.; leg- 
of-mutton rig, 124 ; for the canoe- 
ist, ib.; its advantages, 125; the 
" latteen " rig, 126; the cat rig, 
127; its general use, 127; "jib- 
ing," 127 ; sailmaking, 128 ; hints 
to beginners, ib. 

Boat-sailing, 118-131; first prin- 
ciples, 119 ; experiments, 120-129; 
sailing before the wind, 120 ; to 
windward, 121; tacking, ib.; going 
about, 122 ; hints for beginners, 
128 ; reefing, 129 ; the lee-board, 
ib.; the "Dandy," 130; to make 
a landing, 130. 

Bobolinks, how to rear, 173. 

Boomerangs, 190; how to make, 19IJ 
to throw a boomerang, 192. 

Boys' books, experience with, 158, 

Bow, the Buckeye, 418. 

Bowline knot, 75. 

Breeding-box for insects, 244. 

Bric-a-brac, the .game of, 305. 

Brown, Captain Thomas, 232. 

Bulldogs, 225 ; bull-terriers, ib. 

Butterflies, how to preserve, 243, 



Camera obscura, home-made, 2^j, 
Camping out, 148-160 , without a 



Index. 



435 



tent, 148; selecting a site, 150; 
the rustic cottage, 148 ; frame- 
work of, 149 ; thatching, 1 50 ; 
double cottages, 152; furniture for: 
the bed, f 52 ; rustic chairs, 157; 
camp tables, 158; fireplace, 154; 
the barrel oven, 155; the stone 
stove, 156 ; how to make a butter- 
knife, etc., 157 ; hints to amateur 
campers, 159; provisions, ib.; 
shelter, ib.; slab shanties, 160; 
choosing companions, ib. 

Cane fife, 163. 

Canoes, how to build, 390. 

Caprellas, 94. 

Card box, the, how to make, 368. 

Catamaran, the author's, 96. 

Catbird, how to rear, 174; stories 
about, ib. 

Cat-rigged boats, 127. 

Cement for aquarium, 57-62. 

Clams, how to catch fresh-water, 33. 

Clubs^the Kite Club, 27 ; the Liter- 
ary Sketch Club, 310 ;. 

Cooking in the camp, 155 ; the bar- 
rel oven, ib. ; the stone stove, 156; 
the primitive camp-fire and pot- 
hook, 157. 

Corn-stalk fiddle, how to make, 162. 

Costumes for masquerades, 374 ;. 
white man of the desert, ib.; four- 
teenth century young man, 375 ; 
mediaeval hat, 376 ; the wig, 377 ; 
eyebrows, moustache, and beard, 
ib.; the doublet, ib.; trunks, 378 ; 
tights, 379; the baby, ib.; hand- 
kerchief hoods, 380. 

Cow blackbird, 169; how to rear, 
17a* 



Crabs, how to preserve, 247. 
Cross-bow, the elastic, 197. 
Crows, 180; how to rear, 181; the 
author's crow *' Billy," ib. 



" Dandy," or steering sail, 130. 

Deadfalls, objections to, 215 ; for 
moles, ib.; for squirrels, 216; for 
minks or coons, 217. 

Decoys, 421. 

Desk, how to make a folding, no. 

Dogs, 223-231 ; as companions, 223 ; 
the necessity of training, ib.; how 
to choose a dog, 224 ; the quali- 
ties of a good dog, ib.; trick dogs, 
ib.; the poodle, ib.; the Scotch 
terrier, ib.; Newfoundland, ib.; 
the Shepherd dog, 225 ; bulldogs, 
ib.; bull-terriers as a boy's dog, 
ib.; pointers and setters, 228 ; pet 
dogs, 229 ; their tricks, ib.; the 
author's dog " Monad," ib. 

Dog-training, 226-229 > strict obedi- 
ence to commands, 226 ; the use 
of the whip, 227 ; patience in 
training, ib. ; teaching the pointer 
or setter to "stand," ib.; to "re- 
trieve,"' ib.; "to heel," 228; to 
" down charge," ib.; to "hi on," 
ib.; to " quarter," ib. 

Dredges, 86-91 ; oyster dredges, 87; 
collector's dredges, ib.; bake-pan 
dredge, 89 ; a tin-pail dredge, 91 ; 
hints about dredging, ib. 

Drawing from shadows, 248 ; how to 
enlarge and reduce by squares, 



436 



Index. 



250 ; how to make camera for 
drawing, 252. 
Dug-out canoes, 408. 



Eggs, collecting ; see Birds' Eggs. 
Elder guns and pistols, 203 ; how to 

make, 204. 
Electricity, simple experiments with, 

371 ; electrified paper puppets, ib. 
Emerton's '' Life on the Sea Shore," 

93- 



Finches, how to rear, 173. 

Fireworks for balloons, 144 ; paper 
fireworks, 410. 

Fish, a new way of preserving, 239. 

Fishermen, knots for, 74. 

Fishing, novel modes of: the bell- 
pole apparatus, 28 ; "jugging for 
cats," 29 ; the dancing fisherman, 
31; toy -boat fishing, 32; the 
" wooden otter," '^'^ ; contrivance 
for catching frogs, eels, etc., 35 ; 
the goose fisherman, 386 ; the pis- 
tol reporter, 387 ; the floating tip- 
up, 388. 

Fish-spearing, 188. 

Fishing-tackle : suggestions for mak- 
ing the rod. 36 ; the reel, 38 ; the 
net, 39 ; a home-made minnow 
bucket, 42 ; the fish car, 112 : fish 
bait, 30, 42. 

Fishing through the ice, 296 ; au- 
tomatic fishing-tackle, 297 ; smelt- 
fishing and smelt fishers' houses, 



ib.; " umbrella smelt tackle," 299; 
spearing shanty, 300 ; snaring 
fish, 301 ; spearing fish, 302 ; how 
to build a fishing house, 303. 

Flat-boats, 105 ; how to build, 106 ; 
the cabin, 107 ; its arrangement, 
107-110; their advantages, iii. 

Fortune-teller's box, the, 348 ; how 
made, 349 ; its operation, 350. 

Fourth of July balloons, 136. 

Furniture for camping out, 152. 



Games for in -doors, 305; bric-k 
brae, or the tourist's curiosities, 
ib.; mind -reading, 309. 

Gas, how to light with the finger, 

373- 

Gas soap-bubbles, 133. 

Gibson, Mr. Lang, ♦170. 

Gibson, W. Hamilton, 200. 

Guns, how to make them : blow-guns, 
200 ; squirt-guns, 202 ; elder guns, 
203 ; spring shot-guns, 205, 414. 



H 



Hammer (T. F.), article on winged 
skaters by^ 287. 

Hammock hitches, 80.. 

Handkerchief tricks, 354 ; the hand- 
kerchief doll, ib.; the bather, 356 ; 
the orator, 357 ; handkerchief 
hood, 380. 

Hawks, 182 ; how to tame, ib.; strap 
for leg, ib.; food, 183 ; as scare- 



Index. 



437 



crows, ib. ; as decoys, ib. ; as pets, 

184. 

Hemingray, Mr. Ralph, 245. 

Herring gulls, stories about, 185. 

Hitches, how made : ** Blackwall 
hitch," 75 ; bale hitch, ib. ; sinker 
hitch, ^'] ; simple hitch, ib. ; double 
hitch, ib. ; half hitch, 79 ; timber 
hitch, ib. ; close hitch, ib. ; ham- 
mock hitch, 80; diagrams show- 
ing hitches, Figs 58, 59 ; see 
Knots. 

Holder, Mr. Fred, 85. 

Hummer, the, 166. 

Humming-birds, how to tame, 177; 
stories about, 178 ; the nests, ib. ; 
food, 179. 

Hunting, home-made apparatus for, 
188 ; the fish spear, ib. ; torches 
and jack-lights, 190 ; the boom- 
erang, 190 ; whip-bow, 194 ; throw- 
sticks, 195 ; bird-bolas, 196 ; elastic 
cross-bow, 197 ; slings, 199 ; blow- 
guns, 202, 



Ice-boats, 281-285 ; " Tom Thumb 
ice-yachts," ib. ; see also Skating 
with Wings, 286. 

Insects, mode of preserving, 242 ; 
the mounting-board, ib. ; device for 
pinning insects, 243 ; Morse's in- 
sect box, ib. ; the Lawrence breed- 
ing-box, 244 ; spider bottles, 245 ; 
to make insect groups, 245. 

Instantaneous photographs adapted 
to the magic wheel, 366. 



Jack-lights, how to make, 190. 



K 



Kaleidoscope, a home-made, 347. 

Kites : how to make man kite, 4 ; 
woman kite, 9 ; boy kite, 1 1 ; frog 
kite, ib.; butterfly kite, 13; king- 
crab kite, 14; fish kite, 18; star 
kite, ib.; shield kite, ib.; Chinese 
kite, 19; Japanese kite, 21; 
armed kite, 24 ; tailless kite, 383. 

Kite-time, i. 

Kite clubs suggested, 27, 

Kite-cutters, how to make, 26. 

Kite warfare, 23 ; armed kites, 24. 

Knots, the art of tying, 71 ; secure 
and insecure knots, 72 ; definition 
of a " bend," ib. ; a " hitch," ib. ; 
the single fisherman's knot, 73 ; 
double fisherman's half knot, ib. ; 
Blackwall hitch, 75 ; bow-line knot, 
ib. ; cask sling, 76 ; anchor bend, 
ib. ; Flemish knot, ib. ; rope knot, 
ib. ; simple knot, ib. ; double knot, 
ib. ; " fire-escape sling," ^'j ; boat 
knot, ib, ; " six-fold " knot, ib. ; loop 
knot, ib. ; Dutch double knot, 68 ; 
running knot, ib. ; twist knot, ib. ; 
chain knot for whip -lashes, 78 ; 
shroud knot, 79 ; " lark-head " knot, 
80 ; crossed running knot, ib. ; 
sailor's knot, ib. ; weaver's knot, 
81 ; granny knot, ib. ; true lover's 
knot, 82 ; see diagrams, Figs. 57, 
58, 59 ; see also Hitches. 



438 



Index, 



'* Knuckle dabsters," made from 
mole skins, 213. 



Lanterns for kites, 21 ; for balloons, 

** Latteen rig" for boats, 126. 
Lawrence, Mr. Albert, breeding-box 

for insects invented by, 244. 
Lee-board, the, 129. 
** Leg-of-mutton rig" for boats,. 124. 
Locust singer, the, 164. 
London Field ^ stories from, 185. 



M 



Magic cask, the, 351. 

Magic lantern, 345 ; how to make, 

346. 
Magic wheel, or the phantasmoscope, 

364 ; instructions for making, ib. 
** Man-Friday " boats, how to build, 

96. 

Marcy's (E. J.) photographic gun, 

Marine animals, directions for pre- 
serving, 246; the star-fish, ib. ; 
crabs, 247; lobsters, ib.; sea-ur- 
chins, ib. 

Masquerade costumes, 374; the 
*' baby," 379. 

Mice, traps to catch, 211. 

Mind-reading, game of, 309. 

Moles, how to trap, 213 ; figure four 
trap, 213. 

** Monad," the author's dog, 229. 



Morse's insect box, 243. 

Musical instruments : home-madS8 
corn-stalk fiddle, 162 ; pumpkin- 
vine fife, 163 ; pumpkin-vine flute, 
ib.; cane fife, 163; voice dis- 
guiser, 164; locust singer, 164; 
the hummer, 165. 

Muybridge's photographs of animals 
in motion, '^6'j. 



N 



Norton, Charles Ledyard, 118, 226. 
Newfoundland dogs, 224. 



Owls, how to tame, 184; to stuff, 
233- 



Paper pitfalls for mice, 211. 

Parachutes attached to balloons, 
142 ; odd shapes for, 143 ; fire- 
works for, 144, 412. 

Partridges, snares for, 217. 

Paste, hovv to make, 7. 

Phantasmoscope, the, 364. 

Photographic paper, 250. 

Phunnygraph, the boy's own, 314. 

Plants, aquatic, how to keep, 58 
the water-lily, 58 ; cat-tails, 60. 

Pointers, the training of, 228. 

Poodles as trick dogs, 224. 

Portfolio of fish, how to make, 240. 

Potato mill, the, 359. 



Index. 



439 



Prairie chickens, snares for, 2 1 8. 

Pumpkin-vine fife, 163 ; flute, lb. 

Puppets, how to make, 326 ; how to 
work, 330 ; life instilled into, 371. 

Puppet-shows, 322-333; how to 
make, 322 ; the stage, 323 ; the 
scenery, ib.; scenery for the play 
** Puss-in-Boots," 324; how to work 
the puppets, 330 ; stage effects, 
331 ; to make a magical dance, 
332 ; to make a sea scene, 332 ; 
** Puss - in - Boots " for puppet- 
shows, 334. 



Q 



Quail, snares for, 218. 



Rafts, how constructed, 97 ; the 

Crusoe raft, 98-101. 
Rats, 210; the origin of rats in 

America, ib.; the muskrat, ib.; 

brown rats, ib.; the black rat, ib.; 

Norway rats, ib.; a simple mode 

of catching, ib.; the paper pitfall, 

211 ; the jug trap, 212. 
•* Reefing," 128. 
Rennie, Professor, quoted, 167. 
Robins, how to rear, 174. 



s 



Sail-making for a simple rig, 123 

general instruction^ 128. 
Saw-mill (or buzzer), the, 360. 



Scenery for puppet-shows, 323. 

Scotch terriers, 224. 

Scows, how made, loi ; directions 
for making, 101-105. 

Sea-birds, 184; difficult to rear, ib.; 
stories about, 185. 

Sea-urchins caught by the tangle, 
94 ; how to preserve, 247. 

Setters, the training of, 228. 

Shadow pictures, 248 ; how to make 
them, 249. 

Shawl-strap, how to make substitute 
for, 'j^. 

Shepherd dogs, 225. 

Sieves for dredging outfits, 93. 

" Sinker hitches," 76. 

Skating with wings, 286-295 ; Mr. 
Norton's article, ** Every Boy his 
own Ice-Boat," 287; Mr. T. F. 
Hammer's article, ib.; how to 
make skating sails : the bat wings, 
288 ; Norton rig, ib.; Norwegian 
rig, 290 ; Danish rig, 291 ; EngHsh 
rig, 292 ; Cape Vincent rig, 293; a 
country rig, 294. 

Slab shanties, 160. 

Sleds, 275; ammunition sled, 260; 
barrel-stave sled, 275 ; chair sled, 
ib.; folding chair sled, 276; the 
** toboggan," 278. 

Slings, elastic, 199. 

Smelt-fishing in winter, 297. 

Smoke-rings from the card-box, 368. 

Smoke soap-bubbles, 134. 

Snakes, apparatus for catching, 189. 

Snares, 217 ; for partridges, ib. ; set- 
line snares, 218 ; the spring snare, 
219; snares for fishing, 301; see 
Traps. 



440 



Index, 



Snowball warfare, 257-268 ; fort- 
bxiilding, 258 ; how to make an 
ammunition sled, 260 ; to make 
shields, 261 ; rules of the game, 
262 ; account of a snow battle, 
264 ; how to bind prisoners with- 
out cords, 267 ; " company rest," 
ib. 

Snow houses, 269 ; directions for 
building, 270. 

Snow-shoes, how to make, 279, 428. 

5now statuary, 271-274; the snow 
pig, 272 ; the Frenchman, 273 ; the 
owl, ib. 

Soap-bubbles, 132 ; the best soap for, 
133 ; gas-bubbles, ib.; Uncle Cas- 
sius' smoke-bubbles, 134; every 
boy his own bubble-pipe, 135,409. 

Soap-bubble parties, 132. 

Spearing fish through the ice, 302 ; 
the spearsman's shanty, 300. 

Sparrows, how to rear, 173. 

Spiders, mode of preserving, 245. 

Splices, how made, 78. 

Spring shot-guns, 205 ; for the hunter, 
206. 

Squabs, how to rear, 172. 

Squirrel traps, 216. 

Squirt-guns, 202 ; how to make, 203. 

Star-fish caught by the tangle, 94 ; 
how to preserve, 246. 

Stone-throwing, 419. 

Summer yellowbirds, 176. 



Tangle, its use, 88-93 ; how to make 
a broomstick tangle, 91 ; old chain 
tangle, 91. 



Taxidermy for boys, 232-247 ; the 
value of a knowledge of taxidermy 
to the naturalist, 232 ; Captain 
Thomas Brown on the art of stuff- 
ing birds and mammals, ib.; how 
to stuff an owl, 233 ; skinning, ib.; 
stuffing, 236 ; arsenical soap, 239; 
manner of preserving fish, ib.; 
preserving insects, 242 ; Morse in- 
sect box, 243 ; insect groups, 245 ; 
how to preserve marine animals, 
246; notes on, 423. 

Telescope, the water, 83. 

Tents for camping out, 160, 

Thatched houses for camping out, 
148 ; how to build, 150. 

Theatricals, costumes for, 274. 

Thompson, Wyville, 94. 

Throw-sticks, 195 ; how to make, 186. 

Thrush, the brown, 175 ; wood 
thrush, ib. 

Toboggan, the, 278. 

Torches, how to make, 190. 

Tourist's Curiosities, the game of, 

305. 

Trawl, the, 88. 

Trolling-hook, manner of attaching 
to line, 75. 

Trappers, hints to young, 217. 

Traps and trappings, 209-222 ; pre^ 
parations for autumn, 210; rat 
traps, ib. ; mole traps, 213 ; dead^ 
falls, 215 ; toll-gate trap, ib.; hen. 
coop trap, 221 ; see also Snares. 



u 



Uncle Cassius, 134. 

Universe, the, in a card-box, 368. 



Index, 



441 



Voice disguiser, how to make, 164. 

W 

Walton, Isaak, 83. 

Watch-guard, how to make of horse- 
hair, 74-75. 

Water-telescope, 83. 

Whip-bows, 194. 

Whip-lashes, how to make, 78. 

Whirligigs and how to make them, 
361 ; the rainbow whirligig, ib.; a 
paradoxical whirligig, 363, 413, 



Whittling, 414. 
Wick-balls for balloons, 140. 
Wigs for masquerades, y]']. 
Winter-fishing, 296. 
Wood-thrush, the, 275. 
Wrens, how to rear, 173. 
Wood, Rev. J. G., 193, 225. 



13; 



Yankee Pine, the, 

113-117. 
Yellowbirds, 176. 
Yoke lines, for steering, 129. 



how to build, 



3kn-^ 



.< 



